How to create respect in your Dojo

[Gerry Seymour]

If they have been training for 3-4 years then I would say that is fine.

Yeah, when we talk ranks (any ranks) we get back into the issue of having to translate them between systems.

 

[Steve]

I don’t know the ages you’re teaching, but then again I don’t think it matters much if we’re talking principles. I teach 3, 4, and 5 year old physical education, here’s some of what I do, off the top of my head...

Keep your expectations reasonable. Kids, and even adults, are going to talk and laugh at times. No one should be expected to be absolutely silent the whole time. Let kids be kids.

Know what to ignore and what to address. That kid of goes with the previous part. If you’re telling them to stop every little thing, it loses its effect. You’re just that guy making noise after a while.

Keep them busy. Idle time is when most issues arise. It’s had to talk and/or distract someone when their hands and feet are going and they’re focusing on doing something.

Keep proximity to kids who are known to distract others. The further away you are from them, it’s like the more they think they can get away with.

Raising your voice/stern voice has its time and place, but be selective with it. Like the above, the more you do it, the more the norm it becomes and eventually loses its effect.

Make sure there’s enough positive feedback and praise. If the kids don’t hear they’re doing things right, they think nothing is going to be good enough, so why bother.

Set clear boundaries and expectations, and be consistent in enforcing them. But keep them appropriate and realistic. Don’t ever threaten something you don’t intend or aren’t allowed to follow through on. Once you state a consequence, you’ve got to follow through, otherwise you lose all credibility. Keep the consequences realistic.

Give warnings, but very few. If the consequence for talking out of turn is 10 push-ups, for example, don’t warn them 10 times. One or two warnings is sufficient before you enforce it. But again, be realistic in your expectations and consequences.

The ages and any known issues will determine your expectations. You can’t expect a kid or bunch of kids with adhd to be 100% focused and on task 100% of the time. More kids have issues than parents will admit to, to you and often enough to themselves.

I’ve worked with people that have expectations that are just way too unrealistic. I worked with a guy who just couldn’t get past the concept that 4 year olds couldn’t always run on the perimeter line without occasionally cutting across the gym, passing other students, cutting the corners, etc. He’d start yelling and having them sit out. He’d have them keep doing running until they did it right. When he won, what did he really win? All he did was spend half the class trying to get them to do something that was meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Another guy couldn’t handle 5 year olds not doing sit-ups and push-ups properly. He went through the same frustrations.

If kids are spending more time being punished or told what not to do than actually doing what they’re their for, chances are pretty high you’re expecting too much. That’s not always the case, and there’s typically more of that when the group is a new group, but after a short period of time, they should be under control.

Sometimes it’s a “classroom management” issue. Other times, it’s simply a lesson planning issue. Sometimes, but rarely, it’s just a bad mix of personalities in a class and nothing’s going to work. It’s rare, but it happens. Just don’t let that be an excuse.

Respect isn’t demanded, it’s commanded. Respect isn’t given, it’s earned. Even if kids have no idea what any of those words mean, they certainly know it inside and out.

This is an excellent post.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

No one should be having there greenbelt teach a Kids class it should always be a blackbelt that teaches every class, in my opinion, they can assist you but they shouldnt teach it. thanks for the help everyone

Already been addressed, but I'm not disagreeing with not having a green belt in TKD teach a class (based on normal TKD time in rank), I'm disagreeing with the statement that a blackbelt should teach every class. There are some brown belts I'd rather teach a kids class than some black belts.

 

[JR 137]

Already been addressed, but I'm not disagreeing with not having a green belt in TKD teach a class (based on normal TKD time in rank), I'm disagreeing with the statement that a blackbelt should teach every class. There are some brown belts I'd rather teach a kids class than some black belts.

Not everyone is a good teacher, regardless of their personal skill. Doing and teaching are almost entirely different things. Just because one can do something doesn’t mean they can get everyone else or even one person to do it.

There’s also a few different facets to “teaching.”

Some people are great at working with people one-on-one. They can help someone fix mistakes, teach them new techniques, strategy, etc. But put them in front of the room and have them run a class, and they fall flat on their face. I’ve seen it several times at both dojos I’ve been at. It’s like the difference between a tutor and a classroom teacher.

At its most basic, to teach a class, you need 3 things:
1. Knowledge of the material
2. Be able to spot mistakes and make corrections
3. Be able to plan relevant drills that all come together rather than a haphazard mix of a bunch of random stuff.

Just because you’re “good at (insert MA name here)” doesn’t mean you can teach it or even have any business teaching it.

 

[_Simon_]

Yep, really depends on the person for sure. Having run the kid's class for three weeks as the main instructor was away (and there were literally no black belts available), and being 4th kyu green belt, usually my role is to assist him in teaching the class, but he obviously had enough trust in me and the other green belt enough to run it.

It took awhile (as having been a private piano teacher for 4-5 years) learning how to go from 1 on 1 teaching to directing a whole class, but I found my groove, and loved it.

And truly not everyone is suited to teaching, regardless of rank. I know many higher ranks who just aren't suited to a teaching role, which isn't a bad thing. Their personality and makeup just aren't built for it, nor do they clearly have any interest in it (which is quite important!).

 

[dvcochran]

Not everyone is a good teacher, regardless of their personal skill. Doing and teaching are almost entirely different things. Just because one can do something doesn’t mean they can get everyone else or even one person to do it.

There’s also a few different facets to “teaching.”

Some people are great at working with people one-on-one. They can help someone fix mistakes, teach them new techniques, strategy, etc. But put them in front of the room and have them run a class, and they fall flat on their face. I’ve seen it several times at both dojos I’ve been at. It’s like the difference between a tutor and a classroom teacher.

At its most basic, to teach a class, you need 3 things:
1. Knowledge of the material
2. Be able to spot mistakes and make corrections
3. Be able to plan relevant drills that all come together rather than a haphazard mix of a bunch of random stuff.

Just because you’re “good at (insert MA name here)” doesn’t mean you can teach it or even have any business teaching it.

I agree with the three things you mention but I think there is more to being a good teacher. It is the passionate intangible component that is not seen in everyone teaching out there, no matter what the topic. I love when I see that in MA, even if they are not the most physically gifted. It is usually a sure sign of a quality school.

 

[_Simon_]

I agree with the three things you mention but I think there is more to being a good teacher. It is the passionate intangible component that is not seen in everyone teaching out there, no matter what the topic. I love when I see that in MA, even if they are not the most physically gifted. It is usually a sure sign of a quality school.

Yep so true, and you can spot it instantly huh! Everyone gets so drawn to that..

 

[JR 137]

I agree with the three things you mention but I think there is more to being a good teacher. It is the passionate intangible component that is not seen in everyone teaching out there, no matter what the topic. I love when I see that in MA, even if they are not the most physically gifted. It is usually a sure sign of a quality school.

There is A LOT more to being a good teacher. That’s why I said “at its most basic level.” Countless people have written entire textbooks on what it takes to be a good teacher.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Question: Does your TKD Gym also teach any Japanese Arts?

no why do you ask

Because "Dojo" is the Japanese term for Gym / Training Hall. The Korean Term is "Dojang."

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Not everyone is a good teacher, regardless of their personal skill. Doing and teaching are almost entirely different things. Just because one can do something doesn’t mean they can get everyone else or even one person to do it.

There’s also a few different facets to “teaching.”

Some people are great at working with people one-on-one. They can help someone fix mistakes, teach them new techniques, strategy, etc. But put them in front of the room and have them run a class, and they fall flat on their face. I’ve seen it several times at both dojos I’ve been at. It’s like the difference between a tutor and a classroom teacher.

At its most basic, to teach a class, you need 3 things:
1. Knowledge of the material
2. Be able to spot mistakes and make corrections
3. Be able to plan relevant drills that all come together rather than a haphazard mix of a bunch of random stuff.

Just because you’re “good at (insert MA name here)” doesn’t mean you can teach it or even have any business teaching it.

Agreed. One of the changes I made when forming my curriculum was to acknowledge that not all BB want to or should teach classes. I'd expect any BB of mine to be able to help an individual of any level advance, but I don't have a general expectation they must be able to handle a class (which is an expectation elsewhere in NGA).

 

[Balrog]

I get a sturn voice when they are getting really bad but I dont want to be to harsh on them, so how do i get them to show more respect without getting to harsh, or do I just need to be that way more often?

You have to get the concept over to them that actions have consequences. If little Johnny wants to talk during class, put him down for push-ups: "Johnny, since you were talking in class, you have earned 10 push-ups. Start now." And while he is doing them, mention that this is to help him remember the rule about no talking in class. When he's done, remind him that the next time, it will be 20, then 40.

It really doesn't take more than once or twice. To make it even more effective, pick out a student who had really good behavior and reward them. I use stick-on stars and the kids will bend over backwards to earn those stars.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

You have to get the concept over to them that actions have consequences. If little Johnny wants to talk during class, put him down for push-ups: "Johnny, since you were talking in class, you have earned 10 push-ups. Start now." And while he is doing them, mention that this is to help him remember the rule about no talking in class. When he's done, remind him that the next time, it will be 20, then 40.

It really doesn't take more than once or twice. To make it even more effective, pick out a student who had really good behavior and reward them. I use stick-on stars and the kids will bend over backwards to earn those stars.

I've seen multiple articles saying exercise shouldn't be used this way. Personally, I've seen it work well for both youth and adults, and wouldn't hesitate to use it if I had kids' classes (I don't really like using it with adults - doesn't fit the mood I like to have in my classes). I haven't seen an alternative that hits all the positive points exercise does (burning off some energy, letting them "fidget" in an organized manner, getting actual benefit from the "punishment", and being something they don't really want to keep doing so they'll be more likely to follow the rule).