I had a comment in another topic about when should a Dan become an instructor.

I think students (kyu) should begin instructing from Green Belt (where they assist - maybe lead warmups, etc.)

Brown belt is where the most learning about being a "teacher" takes place. A brown belt can lead nearly the entire class, and during and afterwards get pointers from the head instructor. Once you make Shodan, you should be able to lead a class entirely.

2nd and 3rd degree is when you consider opening your own school, if so motivated.

What are your thoughts?

This is pretty much how it works in my school I have noticed. At least in the adult class I take part in. The green belts and up will lead warm ups and maybe run us through kihons. Maybe a kata or two depending what the Sensei has going on right then. Then Sensei makes the decision on what we are learning for the evening. He's a 5th degree by the way. Then, he an the other black belts will lead the class. Sometimes he'll turn it over to the 3rd degrees and lower.

We have a couple of Shodans who lead class, but not on a very regular basis, and not without the assistance of a 3rd degree or higher.

Sounds pretty much right. I'd even allow adult ranks of purple and up to teach a class of beginners if they had an adaquate plan that they were proficient in.

But by and large I think your assesment sounds pretty dead on.

Green belt - just getting started

Blue/Purple - add in a little more (eg: help with katas)

Then at Brown start to lay into teaching

I've had a club for 3 years now I'm in my 4th year

I am going for my Nidan in April 09

I still have a few good students and always taking more

Pretty much like what Erin said. This is how ours worked also.

Why is everyone in such a hurry to teach?

We have always gone off of the theory that if you are higher rank than you can teach someone. We tend to have 5th-1st Kyu teach 10th-6th Kyu while the black belts walk around and assist. At the black belt level we teach each other.

I think I started assisting my instructor at blue belt(which is very low in our ranks) with kids class and was left alone to teach in his absense as early as green belt and called upon to teach as a brown belt when he needed to miss I even got the call for his private classes.I would always ask what he wanted to be taught in that class he wasn't going to be at. I think it really depends on the individual if they can teach well enough to be left on their own. All of us as black belts are expected to be prepared to teach something if needed every class.

But I am in firm belief that if someone has the ablility to pass information on that they have then so be it. Not everyone one has the desire or ability to teach. So let the one who can and wish too do so. I have learned things from white belts with mear months of training.

I would say that allowing brown belts to beginning to get into warm-ups, along with supervised assistant teaching, would be a good start. 1st dans should be assisting as well. 2nd dan and up could do unsupervised teaching, I think.