Meet And Greet!!

[sensei8]

For the Chief Instructor (CI):

How many CI's meet and greet their students and visitors before and/or after each class with a smile and a hand shake??

Is that important to you, the CI??

Do you, the CI, insist OR encourage your assistant instructors to meet and greet, either at the door or on the floor before and/or after classes?

For the Assistant Instructor:

Does your CI require you to meet and greet?

Does your CI conduct training on how this should be conducted?

Does your CI discipline or counsel you if the meet and greet isn't provided as required?

For the Student:

Does the CI meet and greet you?

Does any Assistant Instructor meet and greet you?

Is this important to you?

For the Visitor:

Does the CI and/or any Assistant Instructor meet and greet you at anytime while you're visiting?

Does this matter to you?

[Spartacus Maximus]

An interesting question, this is. I think that it is an essential duty for an instructor. A sensei who is meets and greets his student personally shows that he is approachable and that is one of the main qualities of any kind of teacher.

In fact, I cannot recall a single dojo I have trained in or visited where the sensei AND sempai did not greet each student or visitor or did not make time for discussion either before or after training.

Some sensei even go above and beyond. I wonder how many CI go out for drinks with their students(any of them, not just black belts) or have supper together after training every weekend. Each time someone shows up early, sensei is always there training and offers a cup of extra strong coffe or tea and biscuits. The most interesting discussions I have had were in these times before and after practise. Even visitors get the same greetings and sometimes join us.

[ashworth]

I remember a few times after class where we are all in the car park, instructor included, and we have just been talking, sometimes up to an hour!

Now as an instructor I talk to everyone, all the parents of the children, everyone gets a high five as well, something I just started doing one day and then became a regular practise, the kids love it!

[Wastelander]

We aren't required to do it, but we do try to greet students, at some point, before classes start. Sometimes, we are busy doing other things, or training, ourselves, but usually one of the instructors, at least, still greets them.

[DWx]

In my home club my instructor's wife and assistant instructor always greets everyone when we arrive. My instructor himself tends to be finishing up the previous class or setting up for the next one or some other task. As senior student I usually make a point of saying hello to everyone.

I have trained at friends' dojangs where at the end of class, starting from the lowest rank, every student shakes the hand of everyone else in the class. I think that's a nice touch.

[Nidan Melbourne]

For the Chief Instructor (CI):

How many CI's meet and greet their students and visitors before and/or after each class with a smile and a hand shake??

I'm not a CI but mine does on occasion when he isn't being asked tonnes of questions from others and the start and end of class.

Is that important to you, the CI??

To him it is when the person/people are new and want to show his respect to others.

Do you, the CI, insist OR encourage your assistant instructors to meet and greet, either at the door or on the floor before and/or after classes?

He does when the assistant instructors are new or haven't met the students before. So they can learn their names and see how they're going.

For the Assistant Instructor:

Does your CI require you to meet and greet?

He does often but is not a requirement especially if you aren't teach often. But if you're a regular teacher the students and parents will come up to me instead. I still get surprised every single time.

Does your CI conduct training on how this should be conducted?

No he doesn't conduct training on how it should be done. But he does say that we should be polite and respectful to others even if you dislike the person.

Does your CI discipline or counsel you if the meet and greet isn't provided as required?

Nope he doesn't discipline or counsel us if it isn't provided. He will if we are rude or disrespectful during a meet and greet.

For the Student:

Does the CI meet and greet you?

He does when he comes up to the back of the dojo and he has to do something.

Does any Assistant Instructor meet and greet you?

Only one of them does when he teaches but the other Assistant Instructors don't

Is this important to you?

Not overly but is nice when it does happen to let me feel acknowledged.

For the Visitor:

Does the CI and/or any Assistant Instructor meet and greet you at anytime while you're visiting?

When I visit other dojos the CI will come over and greet me and ask me a few questions about my visit and if i have any questions. If the CI is busy the AI (assistant instructor) will do it for me.

Does this matter to you?

Kind of when I visit other schools that I am not part of. Sometimes I would just like to sit up the back (or where ever the seating is) and watch.

[sensei8]

Great posts, all; thank you for them!! Please keep them coming!! I'll answer my own questions sometime this weekend, schedule permitting, that is.

[Mr Buffalo]

All of our Instructors greet each student before class and end class with a hand shake and "thank you for coming " at the end of class. As the CI, I also greet each student and say goodbye to them as well. I also go on to make sure that each parent is greeted and at the end of class also thanked for bringing their student to us for training.

I couldn't imagine it being any other way. Grand Master Kang Rhee taught this to me, as an instructor at his main school.

SUN!

[ps1]

WOW WOW WOW!!!! This is just a FANTASTIC topic!!!

I do, in each and every class, say hello to each and every student and parent that walks through the door. I feel it's vitally important to get that face to face smile and hello. I want them to feel welcome and comfortable every time they enter my academy.

I NEVER THOUGHT OF MAKING IT MANDATORY FOR ALL MY ASSISTANT INSTRUCTORS!!!! Can you believe that????

It is now! Lol. Great topic Bob!

[Karate_John]

For the Chief Instructor (CI):

How many CI's meet and greet their students and visitors before and/or after each class with a smile and a hand shake??

 

Is that important to you, the CI??

Not the CI, But My CI will meet and greet students and visitors, provided he is not preoccupied, or working with a student. he does not teach in the kids program so usually is not in attendance yet at the start.

Do you, the CI, insist OR encourage your assistant instructors to meet and greet, either at the door or on the floor before and/or after classes?

The only rule is on the floor, You must bow and greet any "black belts" you pass in-front of who are not actively teaching.

For the Assistant Instructor:

Does your CI require you to meet and greet?

 

Require, No.

Does your CI conduct training on how this should be conducted?

Nope. Just use basic common courtesy.

Does your CI discipline or counsel you if the meet and greet isn't provided as required?

Not required, so no.

For the Student:

Does the CI meet and greet you?

Generally yes.

Does any Assistant Instructor meet and greet you?

generally yes as well.

Is this important to you?

To a point... I like the feeling of being acknowledged.

For the Visitor:

Does the CI and/or any Assistant Instructor meet and greet you at anytime while you're visiting?

Yea, when I visited our hombu dojo with my instructor, The organizational head, and his assistants came over and greeted me.

Does this matter to you?

again I like the feeling of being acknowledged, and it tells you something of the character of the instructors.