Got a couple of problems, need advice

[Mmu8989]

Basically I'm pretty new to teaching having only been years for just shy of two years. And I want some advice. I'm gonna contact my head instructor tomorrow and have a chat. But I wanted to throw it out here aswel

Problem one : teaching girls.

Up until now my classes have been pretty much girl free. And tbh I quite liked it that way. I want to make it clear that I have nothing against girls or women doing karate and I have many friend in he classes I train at who are women.

The problem I have is there's a distinct lack of girls doing sport in the uk and particularly in karate so as much as I liked it being the "boys club" and having the reputation of being the tough fighting classes and being a hard task master and very much a disciplinarian and having even if I do say so my self high standard within my school.

I'm really keen for these girls to stay and have develop the grass roots of karate(I did sports development diploma at college before uni) they have assorted of low level of stero typical young teenage girl giggling and behaviour while it doesn't disrupt the class or the others some of the parapet think I'm being soft when im not shouting at them for little things when I doing what I doing for a reason so would like some advice of teaching girls.

2nd. I have a lad in my class who's being bullied at school, and he has had a hard life but that doesn't give him a reason to what he's doing Every time I turn my back doing out of Stance, playing with his belt, if I say touch contact and gently he goes tae chi slow. And then if I said fight normally he lamps the others no matter how many time I tell him something he doesn't change but because he's such a delicate character if I shout he cries.

like tonight after class I gave him a lecture but was prase criticise prase which as a basic coaching method and he still cried to his mum in the car

Nothing I do seams to sink in I means he's 11 and I have a few other 11 y/olds and they are brilliant I even have a lad of seven who puts him to shame

But the annoying thing is that there is potential in there and every now and then it shows

I've even tried talking to the class as a whole instead of focusing on him and he sat there picking at his feet

I teach him a private class as well and there he's a different person. I just want to know if you lot have had anything like it and what did you do

Ps sorry and the spelling and punctuation I've dyslexia and I'm on a iPad

[JusticeZero]

Girls: As iong as you arent doing a bunch of silly machismo, just teach the class as normal.

[sensei8]

First of all...Welcome to KF!!

Treat the girls and the boys and the men and the women THE SAME...they're karatekas...nothing more and nothing less!! Delve out your discipline accordingly and consistent. Don't favor the girls over the boys concerning anything. The girls giggle...don't excuse them from doing it because they're just girls. No! If you don't want the girls, or anyone for that matter of fact, giggling and the like, inform them but do it in a professional manner.

As far as the boy in your second problem, delve out consistent discipline to him as well. If the things he does aren't suppose to be done, i.e. playing with his belt or with his feet, then address it but remember to be professional. Don't shout when you're disciplining. Shouting is for cadence and the like, or for cheering one on during kumite. Shouting as a discipline tool isn't how instructors are suppose to be because we influence our students and we don't want to provide negative anything. There's a right way and a wrong way, and we instructor had better know the difference before we want to teach.

Him being a different person while he's in private lessons is more than likely because you've got his undivided attention, it's just you and him, and he's no reason to "act" up.

[mal103]

Don't worry about spelling - those ipads can be terrible...

I've not been teaching that long as well but if you let things slip now they will be harder to correct later. Try to correct things gradually so you don't scare them away, I would "slightly" embarress the gigglers by asking them "what's funny?" or something, but keeping it professional and slightly good humoured.

It can be tricky with lots of different characters, I have 2 extremes - 1 girl is very "girly" while the other is a born fighter!

Treat them the same.

I also have a wimpy lad, I make some allowances like only partnering him with others of equal ability etc but generally treat them the same so he has to catch up.

Remember you are also just their Karate instructor, not the one who has to "parent" them, don't feel you have to right all of their issues, by all means tell their parents so they have a chance to parent them. I had a chatting problem with 2 brothers, spoke to their mum who then asked for a report after each lesson, it went from "not too bad" to "a lot better" to "they were great", they got praise and stopped chatting so much, it gradually worked.

In all cases where there is messing about, bad behaviour, giggling, then do what you are supposed to and teach Karate. Make them work harder so they are tired, don't allow them to stand around, if they are keen to learn then teach them full on. Expand on the syllabus so the whole class does a mixture of all moves, if the beginners get left behind on some then make it simpler but keep the whole class moving the whole time.

When they are tired you can concentrate more on speaking, demonstrating, correcting and the finer work.

On the other side of things I rarely give up on anyone and will try my best to make them better at Karate and everything. I currently have an autistic lad with dyspraxia on medication.... hard work but he is gradually improving but really enjoys it.

One of the hardest things in teaching is watching someone get bored and leave, it happens but it's not your fault. Concentrate on the rest!

[Mmu8989]

Thank you for the comments it's a odd one for me becuase normally people just behave becuase the rest of the class does and I don't normally have to tell any one off and can spend my time teaching. Bit even now and then life throws that damn curved ball at you.

I mean so much so I have a lad with ADHD who's tbh I had complete forgotten that he had it. After the class his mum said how well behaved he was. And that at his other clubs he can't handle 30 minutes.

So having someone who should be unruly behave and have some one who should behave be unruly is a odd one. But then like I said I'm not that experienced at teaching yet. So every now and then something will happen.

Just a example I'd been teaching for about a year

We where doing some stretching at the end of the class and I was going on about how stretching a the easiest part of your fitness to improve and that's stretch every night before bed. To which one little lad who was5/6 at the time. Put his hand put. And said sensei so I was like yes??? So he said do you stretch in the nude . And I was gob smacked he dad could see hat I didn't have a clue what to say

So his dad ( who is also a student of my and a good friend ) said no of course he doesn't. To which the little lad replyed yer but you walk round the house with no cloths on so there started having a debate over weather his dad waking around the house naked

I later found out the little lad have over Hurd a story that the dad had told me about his uni dads when I was at there's for dinner on evening afterteachinghis older brother a private lesso.