This is for students , preferably those that have studied under 3 years, but open to all who study under someone else.
How many of you volunteer to stay after class ( or show up before class ) to help clean the place you train in?
How many of you show up if there is a snow storm to help clear the entrance or mop floors ?
What extra things do you do with out being asked at your school.
Many of the students at my instructors' school show up early and clear the room we train in. The school is located at a local community center and so there are times when we need to straighten up if a class has been in it before us and left things in disarray. Likewise, at the end of class we take down the flags, the board holders, the heavy bags, and any other equipment that was used during class so it's clean and ready for whoever will be using the room in the morning.
Last year my instructors hosted a seminar with a very high ranking Master instructor and there were people from five different states attending. About 5 minutes after the seminar was over the room we were in was basicaly spotless because the students put everything away. My instructors had people from other school commenting about how nice it was and asking how they got the students to do that (their reply: "We don't, they do it on their own."). As one of their students, it was nice to see that the example of courtesy that my instructors give to the students had been appropriated and, in turn, had made an impression on other people.
Other things the students do is seting up the table and chairs for the test board, helping get the instructors carry their bags (either in from the parking lot or out to their car after training), one of the younger black belts will usually wait for our instructors at the front of the building and open the doors for them on their way to room (and they usually get there an hour or more early to do their own training so he's there before that), etc.
Similarly, when there's a class function such as a formal dinner we usually try to keep etiquette as best we can (waiting until the senior belt is served and begins eating before we eat, turning our head away from the senior when drinking, bowing when the senior enters the room, pouring drinks for people, etc.).
The instructors have
never told anyone they had to do any of these things. They are just things that students decided to do on their own to show their appreciation for the training we get.
Do you expect anything for your efforts?
OR do you feel your instructor is running a business and it is their responsibility to take care of the place seeing as you are paying for their services?
Of course, teaching Taekwon-Do is a business in that it's done for money (at least theoretically; I've had to tell my instructors I was just going to leave the money if they didn't take it after more than one private lesson). But that in no way means the students can't show their appreciation by doing the things I mentioned above. We don't expect anything in return for doing these things, as they're just considered to be good manners for students, part of the class culture, really. That being said, I know our instructors are very appreciative of the respect the students give them and will often thank people for doing these things.
Pax,
Chris
