We have a bit of a problem in our dojo. Last year we expanded our dojo training space and as a result, we moved the parent viewing area next door with a live streaming video link up. The problem is most of the parents are so interested in what's going on, they still want to come into the dojo and watch what's going on. Right now it's a bit of a nuisance, becuase we don't have any seating in the dojo and parents are sitting on the floor on the side of the class becoming a bit of a distraction to the students. But, we have a plan... for the parents that just want a closer look, we have some removable furniture that we can put outside to view into the dojo when the weather is fine. For those who really want to get more involved, we are working on implementing a "parent as coaches" program. This will involve doing a few induction seminars to teach parents more about dojo rules, how we would like them to interact with students and how to conduct themselves on the dojo floor. It will work along side our already existing leadership program that we already have in place where older and more senior students come back into the beginner classes and participate in the class primarily to be a good example, hold equipment, organise students into lines and depending upon experience of the leader teach small segments of the class to small groups under the direction of the main teacher. The "parents as coaches" will more so be helping hold equipment keep students lined up as required and offer encouragement (not to be confused with technical feedback, that's the teacher's job). I'm really excited about the posibility of get this new program off the ground because we've already received quite a bit of interest in the idea. And anything that helps give me more time to focus on teaching and connecting with students rather than sorting out the logistics of the class has to be a good thing. I'd love to hear from anyone else that does something similar.
