Why refuse or quit teaching?

[IcemanSK]

There's lots of reasons people would stop teaching. Besides age, injuries/illness, financial, people's interests change.

Some people get into it thinking that teaching is the next logical step in their journey. Makes sense on paper. But when they realize not everyone has the same passion for it as they do, they get tired of teaching people who are there as a way to kill time. They get tired of the people who are just going through the motions.

Then there's the business end of it (not finances). People thinking they or their kids should promote when they're not ready. Putting out fires due to assistants or other students. People thinking they could do a better job that you. People telling you how to run the dojo. People trying to change the schedule to fit their needs better. People who are behind on their dues.

At the end of the day, for every die-hard student, there's 30 casual students. Those moments that make you love being a teacher are pretty few and far between at times.

Then there's the schedule. Would you rather eat dinner with your family every night, help your kids with their homework, basically be a family person, or be at the dojo from 4-9 pm?

Running a dojo, even part time isn't all happiness and great times as it seems.

Well said!

[Luther unleashed]

I'm not sure I can understand how one decides to stop teaching because of injuries. I can understand health conditions, I suffer from severe vertigo from time to time and believe me it makes it very difficult to run a class when even going through basic stretches can be difficult when I'm dizzy. Something like that that can be deep militating I can see, I certainly can't see things like me injuries or back injuries or shoulder injuries or things of that nature only because I think of it this way, if Ruthlee had not died at a young age and was still alive, if he was in a car accident and was in a wheelchair would you still seek out his instruction? I will bet you 90% of martial artists would, even though he may not be able to show you he could still teach. JR 137 pointed out in a post sometime ago that as you get older the standard of physical execution is going to be reduced because you are not capable of quite as much, but your knowledge should be tenfold if you are involved daily for many years. I am the type of teacher that always shows, but when I am having issues with dizziness I certainly cannot show you a spinning back kick, I will pull another student who knows how to do it and ask them to show because spinning while busy would probably make me look like a fool falling down haha!

I have wanted to teach since I was 16 or 17, the only thing I could possibly imagine besides a debilitating health issue that would make me quit, would be that I do not care much for the business side of being in the business, my dream of teaching was to teach and share what I know, and as I have learned over the last few years marketing from a business aspect is much different. I am not in love with how American martial arts studios are marketed. Much of it comes across very cheesy and I'm just not a huge fan