Teaching Teenagers

[bushido_man96]

I’ve taught many classes before, but all of my classes were either experienced adults or new kids. I know how to tell kids not to abuse it, but teenagers and young adults are “too old to listen”.

Teens and young adults aren't "too old to listen" - you just have to know how to make them listen. Yes, they are rebellious by nature, but they can be kept in check.

Here's something that's out of the typical TMA school style of thought, but beat them. seriously. There are few things more humbling than getting your butt kicked repeatedly by various people. Why? because you find out that regardless of how many people you beat, there are still those out there who can school you.

Train them - but try to get them into competition. For those who aren't interested, then when they get to the sparring stages, make sure they have access to people they cannot beat.

This is a very old school response. I, personally, like it. There are some students who need to be taken down a notch or two. You don't see as much of that as you used to, in traditional schools. Humbling someone now and again is necessary.

[Kieran-Lilith]

Teaching us shouldn't be a problem. We teenagers are old enough to listen and understand, we can reason, we physically do things that the children are incapable of. We can hurt people a lot easier with our knowledge. We are young adults. The main things that are undeveloped in our brains are the decision making/impulse control centers.

If a teacher doesn't want us "play fighting" (and none of them do want us play fighting) then say so, and explain the consequences of what will happen if we decide to ignore the rules. We're old enough to understand and be held responsible for our actions. Since we're bigger than the little kids, and since we know and understand more than the little kids, we should be held to a higher standard than little kids. That's the way it has always worked in my life, and I think it works well.

I'll even agree with the last couple of people that yes, we do need brought down quite a few pegs sometimes. If we start getting arrogant, that's about as bad for us as having no self-esteem, if not worse. Teens who are arrogant are going to get beat, and then they're going to think "Where did I go wrong with this? Nobody told me to stop, all they did was tell me how good I was!".

[Whitefeather]

Teaching us shouldn't be a problem. We teenagers are old enough to listen and understand

Very true, with one exception (if there even can be an exception to a "hould" statement). There are the teenagers out there who are flat-out nincompoops, and they will be very hard to teach the basic tenets and morals of martial arts. Albiet, that does not mean that one should still try to teach them. If anybody out there neads it the most, it is those who are impossible to teach, not the idyllicly perfect model teenager that is a joy to teach (such as I am sure we all are all of the time ). It is those problem kids that will take the most effort to teach, but it is those kids that need it most.

 

 

 

David

 

 

 

David

[Sohan]

We have several teens in our adult class who are very mature and hardworking. We also have a few who are not. Probably not much different as a cross section than the adults.

Kids rise to the level of our expectations, IMO. Treat them with respect, and they'll respond in kind. This works with my 7 year old; hope it continues to work when the hormones hit!

Respectfully,

Sohan