Student Committment

[Slayer2004]

I wish I saw students that aimed for black belt, that would at least be a start and I could potentially mould them to the fact that there is more beyond.

Also I have seen many students that once they fail a grading of any kind they leave, some even saying they will go elsewhere because they will get the grade there instead. I always find that funny because believe that every grade must be earned as I feel that even being a low level kyu grade should carry an element of respect, if not just as much as a dan grade.

The one major thing I see a lot of now is that parents do not actually realise what they are letting their children learn. I have asked a few times if they knew what their child needed to do for a grading and have been met with a blank face, it makes me laugh because I could be teaching the children to do anything. There is also no push from the parents. Don't get me wrong the pushy parent syndrome can be way too over the top but the parents should still help their children to learn not to give up when things get difficult.

[Montana]

True, I seldom had parents that would sit in and watch their kids in class, and even more seldom would they ever ask me "What can I do to hep my son/daughter do better?"

I had a nice seating area for parents/visitors, but about the only time I saw some parents was when they enrolled their kids. Otherwise they'd sit in their cars and wait for them to come out.

Sad really. Most parents don't get as involved as they should.

[sojobo]

We charge £3.50 for an hour - that's better than the going rates for baby sitters here in the uk - so go figure?

Sojobo

[honoluludesktop]

IMO every student has their reason for being "on the mat". The only thing the teacher has in common with every student deals with the teacher's knowledge of the art. If a student wants to excel, teach him. If he's there because of his mom, teach them. No one is there because they understand their teachers approach to Karate, they are their because of their understanding of our art. If they try hard, they benefit, if they take it easy, their Karate will reflect that. It up to them. The teacher too, must be responsible for himself. He is not there to be a father, or mentor. He is there to teach. If a student desires an mentor, and the teacher is willing, that's OK, but its a mistake to think every student is looking for a mentor. A teacher shouldn't be disappointed when he does something special for a student, only to see him walks away, it was the teacher's choice to do something special.

[Slayer2004]

I charge £3.50 for two hours and yeah I agree, that has been mentioned before about the cheap childcare concept. But still if a child is in my classes for that reason I will still give them 100% as it may give them something to focus on in life or even give them direction. After all, isn't that why we do this? to help people have better lives?

I have actually just wrote a whole new syllabus for my juniors to use, as part of a way to help them break what is required down and learn better which I hope will also get the parents involved as they will be required to actually do something. Fingers crossed.

I have to admit I do miss the good old days, I remember when I graded for my 5th Kyu. I was free sparring with my Sensei and he side kicked me to which I flew out of the double doors to the Dojo. When i returned I was then issued 50 push-ups for not bowing as I left and it also transpired that he had broke one of my ribs. To this day i always used that as motivation, I should have blocked or moved out of the way and to be honest it worked, my fighting got so much better when I knew that even the slightest technique can be severe. I can only imagine doing that now, I wouldn't have a club left lol.

[shotokan-ste]

as for my own personnel commitiment ,well thats suffering at the moment not because of dedication,goals achieved or financial,its my working life every day i am expected to do longer hours working days off i am only able to attend lessons on sundays at the moment because its my contracted day off,plus im finding less and less spare time for myself ,so if a younger student is looking to be dropped off by a parent in the same situation as me there going to struggle

[Slayer2004]

That is always understandable. The biggest problem is that people do not communicate these sorts of problems. I am about to get a student back again after a 6 month absence. I had no idea why he left and it turns out that it was financial. He is getting £100 in funding to allow him to train. But to be honest if his parents had told me they were having difficulty I could have sorted something out with them. I do not have contracts etc so they are not tied in and I could have helped. But I understand pride is never an easy thing to handle. Its a shame. If people would talk, solutions could be presented to them.

[Harlan]

People train, and quit for their own reasons and I don't care what they are. As long as they show up, put in the appropriate effort while in class, and obviously practice at home, that is the only 'committment' I'm interested in.

I'm of the opinion that one gets what one puts into something and that each person's pace of learning is going to differ (no one is slower than me, so I don't judge). Since we don't test, there are no artificial goals so all learning must come from an internal desire to learn. If someone does show up, obviously coast along with no desire to learn, then they'll be asked to leave.

I'd rather have one quiet student show up, once a week, without fail and showing slow improvement, than a class of aspiring black belts that take the summers off for golf, miss class because they couldn't get out of bed, or waste my time talking in class.

[Slayer2004]

I do agree on the commitment of the student in that sense but when it is a child, especially those who are dedicated that stop coming with no explanation it does make you wonder. I tend not to follow the approach of chasing students as I feel that it is wrong to do so but I know a lot of students that struggle financially and wont say a word. I know that when my parents struggled financially I spoke to my instructor and he taught me to two years free of charge as he knew my commitment and that I genuinely wanted to train. He also had the view he would rather me training than not and knew that once I could pay again I would do.

[Harlan]

I think that is generally a problem that mostly applies to storefronts, or commercial schools. If you want to teach, and a student wants to learn, a way can be found. Committment is a two-way street.

My teacher has never charged me a dime, has provided me with all the kobudo weapons I needed until I could purchase my own, driven me to seminars and loaned me the gi to wear. He considers his school to be 'free', and I tell him, 'Nothing is free. It's about the 'intangibles', and sometimes the hardest part of training is just making it to the dojo door.'