Teaching stories

[sonic]

Hi, first off sorry if this has been done I hadn't seen it on the first few pages though.

I was just wondering what cool things have happened when you were teaching? I have started taking the "junior" white belts for teaching expirience and this nice little event happened last week.

First off my class consisted of two boys and a girl (they are all under 10). I had taken them through the first 15 fundamentals when they seemed to be getting really bored. I gave them a water brake and when they got back I told them that we could have some fun doing races.

now I dont know what this kid was thinking but he happily shouted

"Boys are much better at stuff like that then girls." Now I told him sternly that that wasnt true and that there were plently of girls that could beat him (and me for that matter). He didnt belive me though and soon him and the other little boy started chanting how they were better.

I made them do 20 pushups for this. First because it was disrespecting the girl in our class and because he wasnt listining to me. Right after we had the races. We had 5 in total and EVERY time the girl was able to win each race. At one point one of the boys said she was cheating, but I calmly told him that she was not and had indeed won fair and square.

Now a few classes later and I havent heard anything like that again

[Feathers of Doom]

in my old school the head instructor was sick and asked me to run the class for him. that day 3 kids (about 6) showed up and started there first class. at that point we were teaching in a school gym and the moms of these kids both went to walk around the halls while class was in sesion. one of the kids gets up when he realizes his moms gone and runs out of the room screaming for his mom (we were just starting warm ups)

he never did come back. but the other 2 stayed and are still in our dojo.

[ps1]

Wow! That's a tough break. It sounds like you were able to keep your head during the ordeal. I had a kid go crazy once when his mom left during the class. She had just stepped out of the gym to get a bottle of water for him. He thought she was leaving him. You have to feel for the little guy, but all I could do was have him sit down until she came back.

[Feathers of Doom]

yeah i had an advanced belt come and lead the class in warm ups and searched for the kid. i found him just as his mom did. luckily the mom was more than understanding.

[jaymac]

Sonic, sounds like you are getting some good experience. I am responsible at times for conducting classes of 15 - 20 6-9 year olds. I don't have time to allow children to speak out. If I lost control of the of the dojo to children who speak out, they would never learn their requirements. The students (children and adults) are required to stand in an attentive stance when not training. If I have an individual who is speaking out - I point to a child who is not and say "Thanks for standing like that and not talking out." Usually works. I do not hand out push ups. If we are having races, I let the kids pick team names and cheer for each other. If one or two of them are acting out, I have them sit out. I usually allow them back in after they watch how much fun everyone else is having, but I always ask them if they think they can behave while participating.

[ninjanurse]

Speaking of screaming kids....Tuesday we had a graduation (at the Master Instructors school) and one of my students-a 4 year old-screamed and cried for the first 20 minutes until the "test" actually started. His dad was so embarrassed and I felt bad because I encouraged them to let him graduate due to his progress in classes (this kid has attention problems BIGTIME-not your usual 4 year old kind either!). Well, once we got going he stopped crying and made a good (not great) effort in front of about 100 people and....was one of the better behaved of the 4-6 year old set the whole time!!! His dad could not believe it...he has never seen his kid sit still for so long!

[bushido_man96]

If I have an individual who is speaking out - I point to a child who is not and say "Thanks for standing like that and not talking out." Usually works.

I have used opportunities like this as well, like when one child is doing a really good stance, and some of the others are sluffing a bit. I'll say to them "hey, thats a great front stance," and then give them a high-five or something. Other kids see that praise, and they want some, too. It works great.

If one or two of them are acting out, I have them sit out. I usually allow them back in after they watch how much fun everyone else is having, but I always ask them if they think they can behave while participating.

This is a tool I have used as well. A child acts up when drilling, and then has to sit out. Then, by rewarding the good ones with a game, they quickly change their attitude towards the drilling. Of course, it helps if you make a habit of inserting games regularly during your classes, so they are always anticipating it, and don't act up for fear of losing the privilege.

[jaymac]

We always end class with some fun form of exercise that involves using their Martial Art skills. We really rarely have problems with students acting out. If we do, it is usually newer students who haven't caught on in a disciplined atmosphere. (No I don't sit down brand new students, I do give them a couple of weeks to figure out how things are done and what is expected of everyone ) I have visited many schools who do not keep a disciplined atmosphere and do not use positive reinforcement. It reflects on their teaching and on the behavior of children and adults alike. It's usually chaos with periods of learning MA. I am a nervous wreck just watching it take place.

[Chuilli, Kyo Sah Nim]

ok so,

 

I was fairly new to the teaching seen and i was feeling pretty good about myself cuz i didn't have to do this class anymore. so first time on my own. i have a class of like 25 kids, and i have one orange belt all to myself to go over his form. now this kid is squirming like NUTS, and im like...'sir, you alright?'

 

he goes, 'yes ma'am'. he stops for alittle while but then keeps doing like the pee-pee dance. and i go 'sir, do you need to go to the bathroom!?!??!'

 

'uhhhh...no ma'am."

 

so im like whatever, we continue on, i ask him a few terminology questions about the form then ask him to get in the ready stance, and all of a sudden i see a shadow form on the carpeted floor. and im standing there like, you have got to be kidding me. and im like, go get your mother, or a toilet or something. and of course the mom comes busting in and is like im so sorry blah blah blah and cleaned it up but it was still a rough beginning for me.

 

in tang soo,

 

k.chuilli

[Montana]

For me, the arts are only about one thing. Being able to protect yourself, a loved one, or a total stranger if you chose, in a self-defense situation...period. That's what it was developed for origionally, and that's the way that I teach it and practice it.

With that in mind I've got a lot of stories over the past 25+ years of teaching, but the one that sticks out the most is when Latigo, a 14 year old boy, and his father walked into my dojo one day and wanted to talk to me about learning to defend himself (Latigo, not his father).

When I first say Latigo, he had 4 stitches over his left eye, a fat/split lip and a missing top front tooth. His father said he had been in a schoolyard fight two days previously (a Christian school) and the school bully, 1 grade higher and considerably bigger than Latigo, had punched him out for no apparent reason other than to do it. The school did nothing to the bully other than suspend him for a day.

Anyway, the father had gone to sign up Latigo at a local Aikido sensei's (a VERY distinguised and excellent sensei) class and asked him to teach his son how to defend himself. I know this Aikido sensei fairly well and have great respect for him. This sensei talked to the father and son about what happened, and what their goals were and told them to come talk to me instead because learning Aikido would take to much time to be useful. Latigo's needs were immediate, not a few years down the road, so he referred them to me.

So, after talking to Latigo and his father, and stressing that my most important rule was that what I taught (Shorin Ryu) was to be used for self-defense purposes ONLY, and that I would not condone a student of mine starting a fight for any reason, I accepted Latigo into my class.

Latigo was a serious, and attentive student from that first day of training. About one month after starting classes he and his father came in for normal class and his father told me that Latigo had been in a fight at school again with the same bully that did so much damage before. Apparently the bully was picking on a much smaller and younger student at the school and Latigo went to his aid. The bully turned on Latigo and pushed him to the ground. Latigo got up and told him that if he touched him again he was going to knock his block off (or words to that effect). The bully attacked again, Latigo parried the attack, countered and knocked the bully flat on his butt with a bloody nose. All of this happened with teachers present on the play ground, but they did nothing to stop the bully.

In conclusion, Latigo and the bully were suspended from school for a day, and Latigo's father was taking him to a movie, out anywhere he wanted to go for dinner, and then shopping for a new, expensive bike. His father was VERY proud of what his son had done (I was also) and was so very thankful to me. He is a sign painter, and a week later came by my school with the most beauiful sign for my dojo window I could hope for...free of charge.