Hi Reader,

I've been teaching successful learning habits for years, with whole classes and small groups, from second grade up through fifth. Back when I worked as an instructional coach, I brought these same habits into classrooms across my school. One way I do it is a small group I call Building Successful Learning Habits. It's for students who need a little more support with habits that haven't clicked yet. They aren't bad kids. Not even close. They just haven't connected the dots between the choices they make each day and where those choices lead, in behavior and in learning. That's what the group is for.

The first thing I asked them had nothing to do with rules. I asked what they want to be when they grow up. Big dreams came out: a pro athlete, a YouTuber, a businessman.

Then we talked about football.

When the home crowd gets loud, the noise is on purpose. It acts like extra players on the field, because the other team can't hear the play. The quarterback is leading in that moment, and if the line isn't listening, nobody knows the play. Up in the box, coaches are watching the whole field from above. Every piece has to work together for one play to work.

So I connected it to our classroom. That's why we use signals. That's why we keep it quiet. Everybody needs to hear the play.

Then I handed out sticky notes with three letters: W.I.N. What's Important Now. (Coach Lou Holtz made that one famous. I borrowed it.)

One day, one of the boys looked up at me and said, "I'm using my sticky note. What's important right now?"

Another one came up and asked me, "Are we having our group today?"

Nobody lectured either of them into that. One had a cue right where he needed it, at the moment he needed it. The other couldn't wait to come back.

A quick note: the kids in this story are a composite of students I've worked with over the years, in lots of different situations. It's built from the patterns I see, not from any one child.

That's why we start with their dreams. Kids naturally live in the now, and with ADHD that pull is even stronger. We love thinking about the future, but the steps in between are hard to see. The dream gives the habit a reason. The sticky note gives the habit a place to happen.

ADHD & DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH: FAMILY CONNECTION

ADHD researcher Dr. Russell Barkley calls this working at the "point of performance." For kids who struggle to connect today's actions to later consequences, support works best right in the moment and the place where the behavior happens. A long talk on Sunday night or a consequence two weeks away rarely reaches that moment. (Source: https://www.greatschools.org/gk/parenting/adhd/dr-russell-barkley-ad-hd-theory-diagnosis-and-treatment-summary/)

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WORTH YOUR TIME

THIS WEEK ON THE CHANNEL THE HEAD COACH That football talk is the same picture I give parents. You don't have to be your child's teacher. You're the Head Coach, the one who sees the whole field and helps call the play at home. Start with the Head Coach video. Then watch From Dream to Monday Morning, which walks through connecting your child's big dream to the small steps they can take this week. Watch the Video →

Why Is Parenting a Child With ADHD and Dyslexia So Hard, Even When You're Doing Everything Right? Appointments, school emails, homework, and a to-do list that never ends. If you’re doing everything and it still feels this hard, the problem isn’t your effort. This post looks at why more help can feel heavier, and how stepping into the Head Coach role brings the pieces together. → READ NOW

JOIN US IN THE COMMUNITY WHO'S ON YOUR CHILD'S TEAM RIGHT NOW? Every Head Coach has a team: a teacher, maybe a tutor, a doctor, a reading specialist, a grandparent who helps after school. Come tell us who’s on yours and which part is hardest to keep connected. Other parents are juggling the same pieces, and seeing it written out makes the next play easier to call. → JOIN FREE

ONE THING

Make a WIN note together tonight.

☑️ Your child writes WIN on a sticky note in their own handwriting (drawing it counts too).

☑️ Together, pick where the hard moment usually happens: the homework spot, the backpack, the bathroom mirror.

☑️ When things start to slide, skip the speech. Point to the note and ask, "What's important now?"

YOU'RE HEARING THIS FIRST

Back in September, I told you that you'd hear about changes before anyone else. So here it is, before I post a word on social media.

The Family Learning Foundation Course is $27 through Saturday, October 31. On November 1, it goes to $47.

I keep coming back to that sticky note. One small tool, in the right spot, and a kid led himself for a minute. The Foundation Course is a whole set of those tools, built for your family:

☑️ A clear picture of your child's profile: ADHD, dyslexia, or both

☑️ A co-regulation plan for the moment your child hits the Task Initiation Wall

☑️ A Family Learning Board your child can actually see (think of it as the sticky note, all grown up)

☑️ A routine with Normal Day, Hard Day, and Recovery Day versions

☑️ Scripts for the big reactions to small mistakes

I know where this road can lead because I watched my own son walk it. He has ADHD and dyslexia. He did two years of intensive Take Flight dyslexia training, and today he's a grown man working in construction. He has only been out of high school for about two years, and he has already saved nearly half his yearly salary to buy a new car. I am so proud of his accomplishments. What helped him most was a plan, and a lot of small tools in the right place at the right time.

Whatever you pay is your price for good, including everything I add later.

Not ready yet? That's okay. The free community is a good place to start: https://metacognitively-teaching.kit.com/7b002688eb​

YOUR TURN

Hit reply and tell me: what's important now in your house this week? One word is plenty. Your replies and questions help me shape what I create next, so it fits what your family actually needs. Coaching on your own child's specific situation happens in group coaching calls, and Foundation Course families will be the first invited to apply.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Has "storm mode" saved a homework night at your house yet?​
If naming the difference between full sail and storm mode has changed how a hard night goes, that's exactly the kind of story that helps the next parent.

💜 Kelly

​FAMILY LEARNING FOUNDATION COURSE ($27) OFFER ENDS: October 31st 11:59 p.m. CDT Regular price will be $47.

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