Title of Sensei

[pittbullJudoka]

I know everyone dojo and schoolare diffrent when it comes to the use of titles. I was one of the first of the students of the current dojo to be referred to as Sempi by my Sensei. This was fine I was one of the most senior students and I took on extra responsablities such as helping with the kids class and teach in my instuctors absence or helping with my fellow students when they had problems with a new technique that I pickedup on faster than they did. I just figured this was part of steps to becoming a senior member of the dojo. I put out the fact that I started helping teach kids when I was a blue belt which is a low to mid ranking student in our dojo. By the time I was a brown belt I was the one Sensei would call on if he need to miss class or be out of town this not only ment teaching the kids class or the adult class I also had the option of teaching two of his private students. I didn't mind this because it seemd every time I wasin the role of teacher I also learned something new myself. One of my best efforts was mentoring a fellow students daughter through the last phases before she tested for her brown belt. Watching her preformance during her test I honestly don't who was more proud her father or myself. As a brown belt I taught many private and regular classes, learned technique and kata before the other students in the dojo and then asked to help teach them. I have been included in decisions for testing requirements ran tests on my own and with the other black belts of the dojo. I feel honored that my Sensei has enstilled this must trust in me.

In our dojo upon recieving your Shodan you are expected to be a mentor for the kids and lower ranking adult students. The teaching and mentoring others does not bother me.

Being referred to as sensei was odd at first because I was a newly christened shodan. I almost welcome the title from most everyone. I by no means expect everyone in the dojo to address me in this way. But It seems when my brother who hold the rank of Nidan addresses me as Sensei that I'm not worthy or he should not address me with this title. I had often referred to him as Sensei during and after class. I noticed after the last class he attended that I could make eye contact with after class when we bowed to one another and said good class sensei. I have thought of this for awhile and wonder if I feel this way with him since he is the one responcable for me training in the martial arts or if it is the fact he has long past recieved his black belt andI just recieved mine less than a year ago.

So my question to the members of the board is this. How are titles bestowed in your dojo/dojang? If you are referred to by a title what is you comfort level with it? And is there any person that you feel shouldn't have to refer to you by this title if they wish not to?

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

First and foremost congratulations.

In my Dojang there are three titles Kyo Sa Nim, which you could call the Korean Sensei, it translates to certified instructor or instructor of one's own school. Next comes Sah Bum Nim and that automatically comes with the degree of 4th dan and it means 'master'. and then there's Kwan Jang Nim, meaning Grand Master and that could come anywhere between 7th and 9th degree black belt and there's usually only one.

Kyo Sa Nim and Kwan Jang Nim are the only ones that are appointed, and only given to you when ready. In fact, not every master has been give the rank of Kyo Sa Nim, in which case, they would never instruct a school.

In my association(we are independant from all others) our master, and founder is a 5th dan. We will probably plan to have him promoted in four more years or so by master victoria demarco(7th) an affiliate and long time friend of ours. But to be a Certified Kyo Sa Nim, you must be atleast the rank of Cho Dan. and it's for 1st 2nd and 3rd degree Black Belts. Usually 1sts dont get it, i've seen one in my ten years of MAs and it was very well deserved and needed at the time. People get promoted on basis of need, if we don't need a Kyo Sa to teach at one of our 4 branch schools then we will not promote anyone. But once you get your Black Belt it's your choice what you make of it, for example the short story of my rise to Kyo Sa:

I was promoted to Kyo Sa Nim exactly a year ago. But before that, i spear headed many of the schools endeavors, i was first and last at all the tests for set up and break down. I was assistant teaching four nights a week. I took over the website because one of our Ee Dans wasnt capable. I became the studio's publicist, making all flyers, attendance sheets, etc. Before i was considered a Kyo Sa i was considered a senior ranking member just due to my presense, my abilities, and what i had given back.

a few years after i was tested and promted to Ee Dan an opening showed up in our teaching staff due to a Black Belts move to North Carolina. So after a shift of one Instructors, my master instructor approached me and said, "youre up, im asking you if you would like to be the instructor of this school, you've given back alot, take your time, think about it, and let me know."

and of course my answer was yes, but i took the command, sat down and thought. and later that next week i took my title and began teaching. prior to that i had been assistant teaching and what we call ''fill in teaching'(taking a class for a busy instructor) since i was a red belt. But, i was picked out of two other Ee Dans who were my same rank but both older than me. I now i have to live with the bitterness of it, because i take a higher ranking than them due to my title, and get the few liberties that regular Black Belts don't get(not to put down those without titles at all). Which is unfortunate but, that's karate.

But, that was the most important moment for me. as you can see in my display name, out of everything i have done in MAs, the people i've met, the awards i've won, nothing means more to me than my Kyo Sa title, my "license to teach" i call it. Teaching means the world to me and i'd trade any rank for it. There's only 8 of us, and i couldnt be more proud.

Oh, and ps- i forgot 'the people calling you by your title part'

Everyone's suppose to call me Kyo Sa, but hardly anyone does to any of the Kyo Sa's. That rule is a tradition, but its just not as common as calling someone sensei for whatever reason. Personally, i don't care, like i said i have my 'license to teach' and thats all that matters.

Edited April 25, 2008 by NewEnglands_KyoSa

[white owl]

In my dojo, Brown belts are consider senpai's and when you get your shodan rank you are considered sensei. when my spouse got his shodan rank it was a little hard at first to call him sensei, but now their is no problem. when I get my shodan rank I do not wish him to call me sensei if he does not want to.

[bushido_man96]

What you mention about your school is what I think used to be typical when it came to gaining rank and responsibilities in MA schools years ago. A sempai is usually a high ranking student, and sensei is usually a black belt, but I don't think that being a black belt makes one a sensei.

I am a firm believer that being able to teach is not a skill that everyone is blessed with. Some come by it naturally, and some learn how to do it well. Then, there are those that it is just difficult for, and they may not be cut out for it. Therefore, I don't think that every black belt should automatically be a sensei.

It sounds like your instructor has seen the ability to teach in you, and he did a good job of giving you opportunities to teach and learn. I think that is a good thing for you. Congratulations.

In my school, we don't really use any titles like the ones that NEKyoSa mentioned. We have them, but they aren't used. All of the black belts are referred to as "Mister," with the exception of our chief instructor, who holds the rank of Master. However, instructor certification in our organization is not granted until the rank of 3rd dan.

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

I find what Bushido-Man96 mentioned very true and very important. I have seen high ranking Black Belts with decent ability that cannot teach for their life. I firmly believe, like he said, that teaching titles should be earned, deserved and not given out. Being a good teacher is a skill and a blessing. Whether one hones in the skills on their own or is born with them is fine either way.

It's like my Master Instructor for example, he's a cop, and a great one at that, he's a great Martial Artist, he's great teacher, and a great man. BUT, he's a horrible business man, and he knows it, and we joke about it...that's why i take care of a lot of the business aspect of our school.

[Rateh]

I became a "sensei" at brown belt, it simply ment "instructor" at my school. I am now a "sah bum nim" at my new school, which means for us any black belt 1st degree or above who is at least 18 years of age. Temporary black belts and black belts who are under 18 years of age are chokonims (I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong). High red belts are hachsanim (sp). Black belts in charge of a program at a school are kyo sa nim. Black belts in charge of a school are chungsanim (sp). And black belts over more than one school are kwan jang nim.

Before I test for my 2nd degree I must be in charge of a program at my school, so that would make me a kyo sa nim. Most people once they are called kyo sa nim, continue to be called so, even when they are no longer in charge of a program.

[pittbullJudoka]

My instuctor has stood back and let me take a class over. This is fine and when me onstuctor referrs to me as Sensei it doesn't bother me. It's when my older brother refers to me as Sensei that I feel he shoulden't have to. I thinkit may because I feel he hastaught me so much in the pastyear and he out ranks me. Last night at it seemed it didn't bother me but last week I didn't feel deserving of it. Also I think it may be based on my preformance of the night. I had a goodnight last night and the last time we were in class together I was having an off night.

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

You'll get use to it though. I had kind of the same problem with being bowed in. I had forgotten that once the announcement was made that i was added to the official teaching staff and once i started teaching full time that it seemed like i was being bowed into rooms by basis of just walking in...everywhere i went. It was as often as it sounded but it felt that way because of how odd and unecessary it was. One of my assitants bowed me in, and i found myself waving him off because i wasn't comfortable with being formally brought into a room.

But after a year it's one of the things i've gotten mildly use to. Sometimes, when it's like the second or third time i feel over glorified and i tell people to knock it off, im not God. But you'll get use to it, it's uncomfortable, i know. But just imagine how the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th dans of the world feel.

[bushido_man96]

My instuctor has stood back and let me take a class over. This is fine and when me onstuctor referrs to me as Sensei it doesn't bother me. It's when my older brother refers to me as Sensei that I feel he shoulden't have to. I thinkit may because I feel he hastaught me so much in the pastyear and he out ranks me. Last night at it seemed it didn't bother me but last week I didn't feel deserving of it. Also I think it may be based on my preformance of the night. I had a goodnight last night and the last time we were in class together I was having an off night.

My mom was in TKD for a while, and even though I out ranked her, I would never require her to refer to me as "Mister." And I always called her mom. I think I can see where you are coming from, and perhaps you and your brother should talk about it, and see where you both stand. Perhaps he feels good calling you sensei, because you have earned it.

[ShoriKid]

In my home dojo there was Sensei and then everyone else. Sempai was the highest ranking person below Sensei. After a long while, that was me. Before I made shodan, I was teaching kids, warming up the adults and working with the beginners in the class. We had teaching requirements starting at low brown, 3rd kyu, with logged hours of instruction time etc. Sensei was just sensei, even when he was promoted and certified as Renshi, fully certified instructor, at 6th dan. Now Hanshi came in and he was Hanshi. Old school all the way, demanding, a perfectionist, a task master. And a kind man with a keen eye. He was the one that told me during a break at an old day class we did, where as sempai, I had garnered 'special attention', that it was my duty, my responsibility to look to the growth and developement of the lower belts. That I should have one or two hard working yellow belts that I was mentoring. That I should "take them under your wing and give them the advantage of all the sweat and time you've put in. Let them have it easy where you had it hard." That's stuck with me quite a while too. I was the first one there after a while, and the last to leave. After I got my shodan I was there more. What really did it for me wasn't the title of sempai, but the night my Sensei calls me outside right before class. It's snowing and I'm barefoot from having already started teaching and training. He reaches into his truck and turns back saying, "Here, you need this for your uniform." I figured it would be the organization patch he'd ordered for me, but it was a small flash with "assistant instructor" on it. Could have knocked me over with a feather right then.

As to some people having a knack for teaching and others not, I'm a complete believer in this. Our best instructor never made shodan. But, Sarge was an ROTC instructor and former Army squad, platoon and then Company Sargent as well as Drill Instructor. The man could teach anyone about anything as long as he had an understanding of it. While he wasn't the technically most sound man there, he was VERY good at teaching.

Here's the part where I maybe embarass PittbullJudoka a bit. Not out of spite, never would do that. I know the exact night he's refering too. Couple of weeks back, we had a good class. He worked hard. His technique and stances had improved markedly since just December. He helped me with the sequencing of a kata we were learning. (I just can't get it to stick in my head.) Despite what he says, he had a good night. Just not in the way he was thinking. I was very proud of the progress he'd made since his promotion, and the work and effort I saw in him.

After we bow out from class, unless we're just super informal for the night or so tired we can't think and all in a rush to get back to wives and kids and food, we have a bit of a tradition I guess you'd call it. We shake the instructor's hand and give a 'thank you, good class Sensei'. Everyone shakes and thanks each other for the class. Its in recognition of the effort everyone puts in and the role the others play in our training and progress. Without them we couldn't learn.

That particular night now, PittbullJudoka had shined through in those little ways that show up in good shodans. The effort and heart, the love of the arts. As we shook hands, I wanted to acknowledge this and let him know it as well. If it bothers him, I'll not do it. All he as to do is ask. For me it was a show of respect, one black belt to another. In something like that, I don't see the time or the degrees. I see practitioners loving the martial arts, and that's were we're all equals.