Starting new class tonight.

[cathal]

So I am starting, as the subject line says, a new class tonight. Why would I post about this, though? Well...after putting up posters at the local school apparently 200 children are interested in going. In the timeframe of about twelve days I have had well over 200 phone calls regarding whe where/when and how much variety.

Breathe deep...

I know that not all of them will stick with it, but wow, *that* is a lot of people. A lot of kids. I think this is going to be fun but a bit rocky at first as we go through the motions of etiquette and such.

Anyone else deal with such a large group before?

[sensei8]

Yes I have. Basically it's the same as any of your classes that you're conducting right now, but, it's just on a much larger scale.

Establish your authority in a firm but friendly manner or you'll have 200 out-of-control kids. Speak loud enough to be heard by all, use the "mirror" method, move around the class; don't stay in just one spot, challenge them each and every step of the way, keep it fun in both the activity as well as in the delivery of the instructions.

This is the short of it all, but, JUST KEEP IT FUN AND INTERESTING or you'll lose them to boredom.

[rogue2257]

This is the short of it all, but, JUST KEEP IT FUN AND INTERESTING or you'll lose them to boredom.

That's the truth. Teaching kids is as much about keeping them entertained as it is about doing the karate.

[bushido_man96]

I've never had that many in one setting. Wow. I would make sure to bring some assistants along, and make sure that they are on the same page as you are.

[cathal]

So yesterday's time was spent getting parent's informed, and the forms all signed. Of the 100 kids that did show up, 80 remained for the class and 18 committed to showing up from now on. The rest are thinking it over.

I did a light warm up because we wound up with just 30 minutes. I spoke about the three main aspects of Shotokan training (Kihon, Kata, and Kumite) as well as self-defence, exercise, focus, etc. and showed them downward block and front stance. The kids were pretty excited when I threw around one of their teachers for the self-defence demo.

They were all aged 8 through 17, most were 10 or 11. There were three teens, two 16 year-olds and one was 17. A few of the youngest began running around but I kept them in line (barely).

My big success last night wasn't the amount of people, though, it was that I had two adult assistants, and I kept my cool and patience. Despite feeling frustrated at a few points I realized that it wouldn't be helpful if I got angry. I want this to be fun and constructive and if they start to fear me because I'm "mean" then I'll lose them before they realize just how Karate can help them in their daily lives.

In all it went better than I expected. The two adults who helped stayed for the adult class right afterward, and I thanked them profusely for volunteering of their own initiative. As this is a new dojo, I think if they keep it up I may have found a pair of sempai to help me out.

[sensei8]

cathal,

EXCELLENT! Before you know it you'll have more kids than you want, if that's even possible. You got them, now keep them!

Sounds like you did everything right. Did you have fun? Did the kids have fun? Did the kids enjoy you? Did the parents enjoy you? My key with this large of a group is to be just be a kid with them.

Using the teacher the way you did is excellent! I wouldn't change that for all of the peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches in the world!

Don't lose your assistants/volunteers because they'll make your life so much easier and better. If you can, find some trustful parents to help you with sign-ups and sign-ins and what nots. That will leave you free to be amounst the kids, whether it's for kidding/talking with them or helping them out before/after class.

I commend you! Prepare for next class when many more show up because they heard about your classes from the kids that were there.

Edited October 8, 2009 by sensei8

[bushido_man96]

Sounds like everything went well. I did find that when I started teaching kids, my patience got better.

[cathal]

The feedback so far is quite positive. I actually did have fun which is great. Tonight I'm going to start them off after warm-up with 'Green & Grey', then 'Hop Fight'. After a quick water break we'll do some kihon and self-defence.

[sensei8]

Well...after putting up posters at the local school

How did you get the school to agree to this????

[cathal]

There isn't anything else. No boy scouts, girl guides, etc. Literally there's the after school program and that's it. They were in full support and even the staff's kids are involved; teachers too.