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Never
Give Up
By Chris Lowery
Have you ever asked yourself why you do the things you
do…especially when it comes to teaching the martial arts?
Never believe for one moment that what you do is in vain for you will
likely never know the impact that you may have made on another
person’s life. Don’t think for a moment that you
are not
passing on something special. If your heart is in it for the right
reasons, you are giving it your all as an Instructor.
Whether you have one student or one hundred students…whether
they stay for one month or twenty years, believe it or not, they will
remember you. They will remember the smell of the school the first time
they sparred and discipline and the martial art etiquette that you
enforced upon them. They may not remember every punch, kick, block,
choke and throw taught but they will remember you and what you tried to
instill in them if this was done with the intentions of truly being a
positive mentor.
Know this. Everything that you do is being carefully observed by your
students. You are the gospel truth to your students…so never
lie
to them and if there is something you don’t know,
don’t be
afraid to tell them that you don’t know and that you will
research their questions until you get the answer.
Teacher or not, we are all students. A true master is not afraid to ask
questions. A true master will always be a master of research and
seeking the truth. A true master will admit that another may do things
differently but it is not a matter of right or wrong, it is simply a
difference of opinion or a matter of preference.
The teacher’s job is to be a positive roll model to students
and
to help guide them along life’s journey in every way
possible. If
you try to incorporate values such as respect, honesty, integrity and
humility into your Martial Arts program you will be successful in this
area! We have all heard about people who talk about how their school is
the best and how everyone else teaches garbage…as if they
were
Gods gift to martial arts. This is doing just the opposite of teaching
respect, honesty, integrity and humility.
Don’t be concerned if you have a student who wishes to visit
and
train at a different school from time to time. The student should ask
for your blessing to do so, but if you know that what you are doing is
right then you have done all you can. Allow your student to experience
the rest of the martial arts world, and if you have done your job as a
teacher, they will be back!
Getting frustrated because of the difficult financial challenges a
teacher must meet is a part of teaching the martial arts! Every martial
artist should be aware that teaching will probably never be able to
provide you with a steady, stable income. There are very few
legitimate, people of good character in the world today that can make a
living from teaching martial arts full time…an alternate or
backup plan is warranted when it comes to making money. You must have a
passion for teaching, not for making money. If teaching for a living
works in your favor, consider yourself blessed…because most
are
not able to do so without compromising their ethics and integrity.
To teach is to serve and to serve is to teach!
Donn
Schucker, Executive Director
P.O. Box 2171
Florissant, MO 63032-2171
Phone: (314) 606-7306
Email: ds@smaa-martialarts.com
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