Student/Instructor interaction

[AceHBK]

If you are a student who do you you and your instructor interact?

If you are an instructor, how do you interact with your students?

Are you a strict teacher and keep discipline or are you laid back?

Was you one way and later had to change to another way? What was the effect of that afterwards?

If you are an instructor do you have that feeling like some parents have towards their children...."Im your parent not your best friend and talk to me and treat me as such" or are your the kind of parent that is their childs best friend also?

Do you keep it consistent or does it change with each student?

 

[terryl965]

At my school we are all a family weather you are here for a day or a lifetime and the key word is family, we teach every single person the same if I can help we will if not we will find someone that can help them with there particular needs and if you ever leave you are still welcome and if there is a problem that we can help with we will. See being a family is more than words it is a mind set that every single person understands at my school. As MA we are here to bring out the best in people and promote good will towards society.
Terry

 

[karatekid1975]

My instructor now is laid back, but tough on technique, if that makes any sence. She holds a laid back class, no one has to feel "stiff" or they HAVE to do everything right (for lower ranks). You can crack jokes, and talk if it's MA related, and have fun training. But yet, for us higher ranks, she'll get on our case about technique (in a nice way that is).

At the main school, it's different. Very strict. I felt "stiff" there.

 

[HKphooey]

I am very lucky in that my instructor has also become a great friend. I think that is why I train harder and want to succeed. I am not only trying to better myself or impress my instructor; I want to live up to my friend's expectations. We have not had any problems seperating friendship and instructor. We both feed off each others knowledge and strengths. I think back to some of my past instructors and I respected them for the belt around there waist. Today I respect my instructor because he is a true friend and someone who wishes to see me succeed in all I do (and not just in the dojo).

 

[MJS]

If you are a student who do you you and your instructor interact?

I've always been fortunate to have good relationships with my instructors. Outside of regular class time, I've gotten together with them for private 1 on 1 workouts, as well as participated in activities such as cookouts or an evening of watching the UFC.

If you are an instructor, how do you interact with your students?

I've always been friendly and social with students. There have been a handfull in which a bunch of us would all get together after class for a beer or bite to eat.

Are you a strict teacher and keep discipline or are you laid back?

I think its important to have an equal balance of both. You don't want to be so strict that the students dread coming to class and you don't want to be so relaxed that people fool around and don't take the class seriously.

Was you one way and later had to change to another way? What was the effect of that afterwards?

See above.

If you are an instructor do you have that feeling like some parents have towards their children...."Im your parent not your best friend and talk to me and treat me as such" or are your the kind of parent that is their childs best friend also?

See above.

Do you keep it consistent or does it change with each student?

See above.

Mike

 

[bobster_ice]

My TKD instructor is laid back, except when you miss a training session, he pratically kicks your *** if you dont have a good excuse for not going to training.

 

[Gemini]

If you are a student who do you you and your instructor interact?

I'm both. Though I'm friends with my instructor, class is class. He's Sabumnim and I'm the student.

If you are an instructor, how do you interact with your students?

In a formal manner. I'm not a smiley kind of guy and children don't warm up to me easily. Or me, them. But I'm very good at building confidence. All in all, I'm working on it. I envy people like my Sabumnim that can be both, but hey, that's why he's Sabumnim.

Are you a strict teacher and keep discipline or are you laid back?

Very strict, but not mean. Big difference.

Was you one way and later had to change to another way? What was the effect of that afterwards?

Because I'm learning, my methods change all the time. There's no one more aware of my lack of experience than me.

If you are an instructor do you have that feeling like some parents have towards their children...."Im your parent not your best friend and talk to me and treat me as such" or are your the kind of parent that is their childs best friend also?

Actually, I'm very different with my own kids than others. On the mat, I'm tougher on them than other kids. Off the mat, we play around quit a bit. Others kids, I'm their authority figure, not their friend.

Do you keep it consistent or does it change with each student?

It has to change with each student. I'm just not that good at it yet, but I know where I have to go. For me, it's just a longer road than most.

 

[Andrew Green]

Small club, and we act like one. I just happen to be the one with the most experience, apart from that, we're all on the same level and treat each other as such.

 

[TigerWoman]

I am more strict around children - no talking, running, yes ma'am, keep on task. But the structure of the workouts are more fun and depending on the age sometimes very short before we move on to the next task/exercise.

If the class is just a few adults, I am more laid back. I expect the same protocal but I let adults talk but expect them to stay on task. If there is just one person, like this morning, a woman, I tell her just to call me by my first name but be sure to say Ma'am if there is more than one person in class. As I said in another thread, I go out of my way to help a student but do not become friends until after they become black belt. And the reason is this, I am not a parent but an instructor. The student's job is try to meet my expectations, if I ask for 50 pushups and I know the student is capable, this is not an option unless the student has told me that he is incapable due to injury. They are expected to do their best. If that same student slacks off thinking this is just friends working out together, when that test comes and that 50 pushups are due, he/she will not look back and think... I thought we didn't have to do them because I told you (the instructor) that I hated them and that's why I didn't do so many. Friends usually have expectations of others outside of physical exercise, please come to my husband's birthday party, and if you don't, then there are hurt feelings and progress in class may be hampered. I have seen too many students quit because of this personal relationship. I was given a CD for Christmas from a student who wanted to be friends outside of class even though I discouraged her. I had to return it, saying I couldn't accept it, but once we are black belts together I could. She finally got it then and became more serious in class. TW

 

[Blindside]

Our studiol is a loose-knit bunch of friends. You'll hear plenty of jokes in class and it has a very welcoming atmosphere. We don't have alot of formality between instructor and students, but there certainly is respect for each other. I don't have any discomfort critiquing a student because he is my friend, and I've never felt that they blew off instructions because "he is my pal."

Lamont

 

[stone_dragone]

My instructor at home is now more like a second father to me than an outside authority figure. His school is like a close family, only a fairly self-abusive one . When I go home, I'm more like the big brother/uncle figure that only visits on holidays (even to those older than me, although I render them the appropriate respect based on age).

 

[BrandiJo]

I see my school as more a family, with the two inst as heads... they are our friends we are nice and laugh and have fun together but there is that line of disapline you do not cross and you know when you do. Like in a home situation a child swears...the child gets repermanded in some way in my school if we are i dunno out of focus or careless in sparring, we will have some kind of repermand. I think it works out good because you dont want to be scared stiff of your inst but you dont want to be able to walk over them etiher.

 

[Aqua4ever]

My instructor and I (actually all of our instructors and i) are on very friendly terms. But that's through two years of my hard work to earn their respect. It is expected that you show proper respect. No talking back, adressed by Sir, quiet in class, take punishments without question, don't aruge with points called in sparring etc.
Once my instructor learned that I could obey all of that, he's lightened up with me, and I with him. If there is a huge class, I show a high degree of formal respect. If its just a few of us, i show him the respect I'd show a parent or teacher. All that means is I feel comfortable cracking a joke back, or dancing to music when it gets put on for sparring. As long as trainign ethics stay up, everyone is happy.
Aqua

 

[OUMoose]

Every instructor I've had is the kind who is business in the gym, but is more than happy to go knock a few back at the pub afterwards. Personally, I find that a good tradeoff.

 

[Grenadier]

When on the dojo training floor, or in the office discussing business or instructional matters, it's simply that: business is business, and I maintain a rather strict, rigid setting. Students must address me by my teaching title. No exceptions.

I will, however, toss out the occasional light-hearted remark, just to break the tension once in a while. I'll do this a bit more often with classes that contain advanced students, versus classes that contain beginner students, and moreso with adults rather than children.

Outside the dojo? I'm just plain ol' Joe Q. Public. In those situations, I actually prefer people call me by my first name, if they're adults, and I'd rather they not address me by the teaching title. If anything, I'm more than happy to grab a bite to eat, and a few rounds of cold suds with some of the folks that I know very well. Dare I even say, that they've become friends?

 

[Henderson]

Personally, I believe there needs to be a line of separation. And that line exists as the threshold of the dojo door. For me, and other senior students within our organization, our teacher is "Sensei" in the dojo, and "Cook" outside the dojo. For more junior students he is "sensei" regardless of the surroundings. We mostly conduct ourselves as a family. And any family has a patriarch. To call someone (whether he/she be your sensei, sabunim, guro, instructor, or senior student) by their given name assumes a level of familiarity and equality that is a falicy in a martial setting. The sense of a hierarchy must be maintained, IMO, to preserve order and discipline. There is a saying my teacher uses quite often that I feel applies to this thread perfectly...

"A dojo is a benevolent dictatorship that doesn't always have to be benevolent."

Just my $.02....respects,

Frank