That was fun

This past Wednesday, the advanced black dragons took sir class to Rotary Park as our last class before school starts up again. It was a lot of fun. They ran laps around the pond, had 3 legged races, and a few games of tug of war. It was great being out in the sun, and doing a bit of Kung fu outside.

(Sorry it isn't the best picture, but I took it with my phone against the sun).

 

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Not just teaching

Yesterday was the forms seminar, and I learned a lot. No, I was not a student, but an instructor. Still, there is a lot to be said about breaking a form down, and tweaking it. Everyone is different - they all learn differently, and interpret differently. One thing I learned, is that sometimes, a single word can change a perspective and to see it differently.

 

I was also surprised to see two of my black dragon students take part. I am so proud of everyone, but it really touched me to see them there. (Also one was a graduate of the black dragon program). They are also my "kids". It was a great time...

 

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Quality of Motion

Flow is not easy to teach, and finding the right tools for each student to improve is not an easy task. We all have strengths and weaknesses and the key to improving is to recognize where you are. We just got through boot camp, and are now coming up to our forms seminar. I conquered my fear of teaching a seminar at boot camp this year. I have been wanting to for a few years, but always chickened out because flow is hard to teach. Tai Chi is the best tool for that, in my opinion, but it can take years to get there. So my intent this year was first, sign up, second make a plan of sorts, and third, follow through. It was challenging, and of course I didn't follow my plan exactly but it felt like it went ok. I haven't wanted to post about teaching at boot camp, as it feels like a weakness to admit that I had incredible anxiety over it. Funny though, give me a room full of kids, and I can do anything, but give me grown ups and the fear sets in fast and furious. Oh well, it's over and I learned a lot. I do enjoy teaching at the forms seminar, however. Forms are my strength, and I feel quite confident with them. Not only do get to share my knowledge, I get to learn something from the students.

 

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This is a tough one

I have one thing to say.....

 

Baaah!

 

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A smile

All I can say, is that it brought a smile to my face. Another notch for the reasons why I teach, and why I love teaching the littlest guys. One was getting promoted to purple belt yesterday and knew it because his mom planned their holiday around it. So 3/4 of the way through class, while they were all sitting in a circle with Sifu Kichko, he says " Sifu, I think you forgot to give me my purple belt". And then she told him that class wasn't over yet, so who knows what can happen. I couldn't help but smile. And then the kicker - this always happens, and I am thinking maybe we need to do a congrats cheer instead. He got his new belt, and we clapped when he got back to his spot. But clapping is how we end class after we bow out, so about half of the kids started to run to their parents. It was funny and heart warming. Gosh I love those kids!

Mental Health First Aid

This week I took a 2 day Mental Health First Aid course. I got a lot out of it and do recommend it. I realized just how huge the stigma is towards mental illness, and just how much work we have ahead of us to change that.

There is an acronym that for our actions which are interchangeable but I am going to just start with the second one today. Listen Non-Judgementally. Here is a poem that we were given that hits home for me and we can use in our every day dealings.

 

You Are Listening To Me When

You are not listening to me when...

You do not care about me, and you cannot care about me until you know something about me to care about

You say you understand before you know me well enough

You have an answer for my problem before I have finished telling you what my problem is

You cut me off before I have finished speaking

You feel critical of my grammar, accent, culture, or way of doing and saying things

You are communicating to someone else in the room

You are dying to tell me something or want to correct me

You are trying to sort out the details and are not aware of the feelings behind the words

You sense my problem is embarrassing and you are avoiding it

You get excited and stimulated by what I am saying and want to jump right in before I invite your response

You need to feel successful

You tell me about your experience which makes mine seem unimportant

You refuse my thanks by saying you haven't done anything

 

You are listening to me when...

When you come quietly into my private world and let me be

You really try to understand me when I do not make sense

You grasp my point of view when it goes against your sincere conviction

You realize the hour I took from you has left you feeling a bit tired and drained

You didn't tell me the funny story you were just bursting to tell me

You allowed me the dignity of making my own decisions even though you felt I was wrong

You didn't take my problem from me but trusted me to deal with it in my own way

You gave me enough room to discover for myself why I felt upset and enough time to think for myself what was best

You held back the desire to give me good advice

You accepted my gift of gratitude by telling me it was good to know I had been helped

 

Anonymous

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Ahhh, titles...

Yesterday was a day of examining more of my Tai Chi in a different way, and also a rediscovery of what can keep little ones engaged. It was a little overwhelming to see how much more I have to learn in Tai Chi, but it's good too as I think it will help all of my Kung Fu in the long run. The discovery is hard to explain, but I see my six harmonies developing more over time through it. And if I pick a few things to work on at a time, it shouldn't be an overwhelming process.

I find teaching to be full of self discovery. You can learn a lot from teaching, and it can be as simple as assisting in a class. We are always students, and the road to mastery is a long one, but it is incredibly rewarding if you let it. I admit, it can be hard to translate your passion so that you reach all your students, but that's where we learn to adapt to their needs, and why it is wonderful to have a few instructors on hand. We all have different methods and approaches, and there isn't a single one that will reach every single student. But I think to inspire, we need to let our passion guide us, and to find fun and interesting ways to present it.

I was also thinking about leadership and what makes a good one. Sometimes, it's taking initiative and doing what needs to be done. Sometimes, it's stepping up and supporting a leader by inspiring those around us. It's looking at a person, seeing their strengths, and encouraging them to share them. A leader can be the quiet person, silently doing what needs to be done. Sometimes, it's as simple as showing up. I bring this up because I try to read all the blogs regularly and I see strengths that don't seem to be utilized. Perhaps its a matter of the student not seeing it, but leadership comes from within and we all have that potential. We just have to look inside ourselves and believe. Everyone of Silent River Kung Fu has something amazing to offer. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to come together to discover it.