childrens class problem

[greenbelt_girl15]

Hi everyone,

Last week my sensei asked me if I would like to take over teaching the young childrens class(ages 3-6) on fridays since it is hard for him to take all of his lunch break to teach. I said that I'd love to and as I started planning what I was going to do, one of the parents called me and said that she had switched the time of the class to 12:20 since it was hard for some of the kids to get there from school in time.Now I didn't mind this much, but then she said that she had also decided to shorten the class to 20 min. since she didn't think that the kids needed to play "games" during karate because there was open gym after karate anyways ( we use a school gym for our dojo) My sensei had told me that I could lengthen the class to an hour if I wanted to and I was planning to legthen it if the kids seemed to have a long enough attentions span ( which they did). But I'm not sure what to do now.Especially since my sensei is on vacation for 2 weeks.

What would you suggest?

[bushido_man96]

I think that it is hard to teach anything in a 20 minute class, so I would probably try to drag it out to about an hour. At least 45 minutes for the kids. As long as you keep their attention, then you are doing great, and I say run it as long as you can.

[wheeze]

Hey,

I teach kids and we go 45 minutes. A rule of thumb is for each year a child is

they are capable of 1 minute of attention. So if a child is 4 years old he/she can handle 4 minutes of instruction and focus. On average I teach for 5 minutes and allow them a 2 minute break. I break the training up into games and races. For instance I use relay stations where each kid is told to perform a technique. If they do it right they run to the next station and do another technique. At the end I have set up a long tunnel (I bought it for my kids but they never used it) that they love to crawl through and play in. In order for them to go and play in the tunnel they must perform all the techniques given to them correctly. (I setup 3 stations) I also use motown music (keep it clean) and we stretch and exercise to it. They love doing the twist with chubby checker! It takes alot of planning but you can do it.

wheeze

[username8517]

I'm curious why one of the parents is calling and making these changes. All changes to the class and curriculum should come from your sensei, not one of the parents.

Although I do agree that a full hour is a bit much to keep 3-6 years olds focused the whole time. Perhaps cutting the class down to 30-45 minutes might be helpful and include a game or two as a break between material, or even at the end of class as a reward if they do well.

Perhaps an alternative could to be to keep class at the normal time and make whatever beginning time (say 12:00) to 12:20 "play time" where "play time" includes games focused on doing techniques correctly or something to that extent. This will allow those kids that can make it on time to not have to alter their schedule for others and those that can't make it until later aren't really missing out on any training.

[AikiGuy]

I agree with Bearich. I don't know why a parent would insist on changing the time of your class. That's like my next door neighbor deciding what time I should go to work. Perhaps I just need a little more info here. Maybe you are saying the parent simply stated that she would change the time that she would arrive without expecting everyone else to change their schedule accordingly. If that is the case, then put your foot down quickly before this gets out of hand. Explain to this parent that she is welcome to come for only part of the class, but that you must maintain the schedule that works for the vast majority so you cannot change the time. If she protests, just shift responsibility to your sensei by saying that this is the schedule approved by the head instructor and you are not authorized to change it (whether you really are or not). It is possible this parent is trying to use your inexperience to get her way in your instructor's absence. Especially if you are young and not a full instructor rank yet (as your screenname implies). Don't be used like that!

Also, I have taught kids classes for years and my classes were between 1 hour and 1.5 hours. This range seems to work but I know some people go a little less with kids especially younger ones. It is up to you and you should decide based on the abilites and attention of your students and also based on how much stuff you have planned for a typical class. If you have a longer class (1 hour or more), try to switch activities often and make about half of them more fun rather than structured techniques. It sounds like you're already doing this so you should be ok. When a parent questions the "fun" activities, just explain that this is the way kids are taught because of their shorter attention span. They become bored or even resentful if a class seems too much like school. Your instructor believes you are qualified to run this class, so trust yourself enough to simply explain things as you have learned them when someone asks a question. If someone hits you with a really tough request or question, just say you will suggest it to your sensei and let him decide. This teaching gig is tough when you start, but hang in there. It is worth it.

[greenbelt_girl15]

AikiGuy-

No I'm not a full instuctor yet,I'm a greenbelt with one brown stripe and I'm only 17,so I was a little intimidated by her and didn't know what to say to her.

The parent is in charge of both the homeschool class before karate ( which most of the students go to) and the open gym class after karate, so she literally emailed every parent who was bringing their kids and told them that the time of karate was changed.

[ps1]

Sounds like your hands are tied until the your instructor comes back. Just be sure to make your instructor aware of the situation before he finds out from the mother first. Beyond that, just do your best until that time. Sounds like a very sticky situation though. Good luck.

[AikiGuy]

Ooooh, now I see. I thought it was just a parent of a student. Well, in that case, I am a little surprised that your instructor did not work out the schedule with this person before he left. It sounds like it should really be between the two of them and not involve you at all. It also sounds like she is in charge of scheduling and even your instructor could not change the times without her approval. If that is so, then just accept whatever scheduling she makes and muddle through until your sensei returns.

However, I think you are right about the curriculum. Unless, she is a martial artist, she has no place telling you what or how to teach your students. However, since she is in a position of authority, it may cause problems later on if you protest too much. Just suffer through it and inform your instructor of her changes. If he wants to dispute the changes, he will have enough pull to make the point. As a fellow kids' instructor, I completely agree with you on all counts. But Ps1 is right. Your hands are tied for now. All you can do now is practice your fake smile and pretend to agree. Good luck and welcome to the instructors' club.

[pepto_bismolz]

Drop her like a bad habbit.

She sounds like trouble...

[Quien]

I have been teaching kids during these last years and, from my point of view, a 20 minutes class shouldn't be effective at all. They waste a lot of time in doing such simple things as sitting in seiza, making a row...so in a 20 minutes class you won't be able to teach almost anything. My classes last for an hour and I think that maybe 45-50 minutes would be the best. Try to prepare your class in advance so that everything takes place as you thought. 10-15 minutes of warming up and the rest of the class for karate itself, counting on that if you want them to really learn, you will almost surely have to make some games or funny drills between the exercises so that they really enjoy the class and give the best of themselves while practising the new concepts.