calling all insructors for some input

[manuelito]

okay so it has been a long while since i posted something on here and for that i apologize.

no lets get to bussiness. i need some feedback from instructors that have taught their respective art form in a public school. i need some cause and effect type information. also if you could point me in the right direction for source information on this subject, it would also be helpful. if you have taught in a school please also tell me were for geographical purpose. well, please respond and refrain if you have not actually taught or were taught in a public school.

oss

mr. k

[Shorinryu Sensei]

I've taught classes in both a high school and college settings. What do you mean by "cause and effect"?

[KempoTiger]

is this just a one time demonstration class or are you planning on teaching out of the school for a considerable amount of time?

[White Warlock]

I too want to know what you mean by 'cause and effect.'

i have taught at college settings as well. Via clubs through the student union and for no profit.

If i am to guess at some things you are interested on, i present them here in generalities, and mostly in regards to clubs:

Longevity:

students at a college level are interested and many will stick with the training throughout their stay in the college. If it is a two-year college, expect a lot of dropouts (equal to the standard dropout rates at a college). If it is a 4-8 year university, expect mid semester and end of semester to be cricket time. I.e., nobody will show for practice because they are too busy cramming for mid-term test and finals.

Intensity:

students generally are there at a 'mental' level more than a 'physical' one. They are there to grasp knowledge and to develop skills, not to spar or any action that could potentially get them hurt and cause them to lose class time. Their primary goal is to obtain an education at the college/university, not to learn the martial arts.

Setting:

If it is a class, the interest level will be dependent upon the student's need to obtain a good grade. Expect many to fail to show up for finals, as this is an issue with a lot of college students... getting all confused about times for finals (which are usually setup different than regular class times). So, if you want to help your students, don't have a standard finals. Instead set it up prior to finals, and use the day of finals for a party or something.

If it is a club, the interest level will be much higher. The persons in a club are there to participate, and in many cases share. Many that come into clubs already have some background, or are truly interested in learning the material, but have a limited budget. Very few you will find are there because of 'bully' issues. Moreso, it is for the knowledge.

Problem Students:

There are going to be students that come in with plenty of background, and they may opt to try and 'take over' a club. That is fine, as long as their actions are not wholey selfish, and their goals are to help the club grow and develop. Unfortunately, baby politics are high in college clubs, so it is likely that the person is going to be acting in a wholey selfish fashion, in which case you will need to nip that one in the bud, right quick.

There is no need to challenge them, or to humiliate them, but putting a firm line on what is going on and how the club is to be managed helps a lot. Club leaders have one ace in their hand... the advisor. The advisor is a staff member of the school, usually a teacher. If a problem arises, it is best to work with the advisor to resolve this problem. In most cases, the advisor will nip that one in the bud for you, but don't expect him/her to do it. The advisor may instead leave it up to you to resolve. Whatever you do, be tactful and considerate.

Problem Advisor:

Sometimes an advisor can be a problem. He/she may feel it is HIS school, parked in a college setting. That is fine, to some degree. But if what he is presenting is not really what you want to teach, or his skill is not all that great, you will have a clear conflict of interest. In such a case, you will either need to draw lines for your advisor (which is entirely acceptable, since clubs are there for the students, not for the staff), or you will need to find another advisor. Again, be tactful and considerate, especially with advisors. In many cases, these advisors, being teachers as well, have clout in the college... and can thus help to 'boycott' your club. If such is the case, your club will never see the light of day again. At least, not with you running it.

Challenges:

Occasionally, and yes it does happen, you will have some yokel come in (another student) and challenge you, or one of your other instructors. There are two ways to handle this. One is to call campus security and have his butt hauled away. The other is to have him fill out all the appropriate paperwork required of any member, including disclaimers in case he gets hurt. Usually this latter part gets rid of them, especially if you present a lot of paperwork, including that of personal information, insurance information, proof of student status, place of employment, next of kin, etc (more than normal, just to be obnoxious).

Legalities:

As hinted above, there are going to be some forms that will need to be filled out. Pretty much the same forms required for any contact sport at the college, plus one or two more added by the Student Union to protect their butts as well (many student unions are independent of, although associated with, the college administration, and thus can be sued independently). Talk to the college student union advisor regarding this (not your club's advisor).

hope this helps

[manuelito]

well i am looking for more info on younger ages. i am trying to get info on long term effects on teaching students ma in public schools. example...ma helped young john to become a better disciplined student in school or ma helped jennifer's self esteem.

really i am looking for both positive effects and negatives effects on students. and as for casue is the how and why? hope this better explains what i am trying to get. thank you for your responses.

[White Warlock]

hope this better explains what i am trying to get. thank you for your responses.

no, not really. At least not to me.

[nix]

I taught at a "special needs school". All the students used MA as a sense of private confidance. They were able to see themsleves as one of the 3 ninja kids despite various handicaps.

to sum up

positve effects --> added confidance, increased respect and more importnatly, longer concentration span

negative effects --> some little boys tend to get a bit cocky.

[Fairfax_Uechi]

okay so it has been a long while since i posted something on here and for that i apologize.

no lets get to bussiness. i need some feedback from instructors that have taught their respective art form in a public school. i need some cause and effect type information. also if you could point me in the right direction for source information on this subject, it would also be helpful. if you have taught in a school please also tell me were for geographical purpose. well, please respond and refrain if you have not actually taught or were taught in a public school.

oss

mr. k

I wondered what you ment also. But your follow up helped. If you can, go to a University library and see if you can pull up case studies. I"m sure there are many out there. If I"m not mistaken, the Japanese incorporate martial arts in their primary education, and I think the Koreans do also. So it shouldn't be too hard to find research on this.

Interviews with individuals will be good, but if you can find some formal research, to support it you doing great. Also, can you please let us know what you find.

[Blackbeltblonde]

I've done all sortsa demos in schools and I currently teach at a college.

Some really nice little demos for cause and effect (that are a little more on the light hearted side)

"Bully" pushes you. (scenario)

You subdue using fingers or joint lock. (Cause)

He falls as fast as he can to the ground. (effect)

A nice addition would be explaining how gravity assists in cause and effect. Example would be someone charging you and you do a nice little Heaven and Earth, or a simple side-step and re-directional throw. They always look nice and can have endless examples and questions and points attached to them.

~BBB