I had a bunch of great comments on my post entitled Are you ready to teach?
I’ve
spent some time digesting the material and have come up with the following
‘Top-Five’ things to remember if you're considering becoming a teacher:
1. It’s not about you
2. Do it for the right reasons
3. Kick ego to the door
4. Everyone has doubts
5. Never stop training
1.
It’s not about you
You’d
think this would be obvious, but it’s easy to lose sight of. It’s about
the students, without exception. If you put the student’s needs first,
you’ll rarely go wrong. A good teacher cares about the development of
their students. You can’t let your focus shift towards your performance
in that role. Work at it, yes, practice, improve your teaching skills,
but don’t let the focus of your attention shift off the students and onto your performance, at least not during class. Students know when a teacher
is truly invested in helping them learn and improve. These are the
teachers who breed loyalty and respect.
2. Do
it for the right reasons
This
isn’t a discussion on whether or not it’s ok to make money while teaching
martial arts. Money may be one of the considerations when deciding to
teach, but it cannot be the primary motivator. You must have a passion
for your art and a genuine desire to pass down your knowledge, improve others
and perpetuate your chosen art, or a variation thereof. If you only care
about making yourself money, your students will know this. It’s not about
you -see point #1.
3. Kick
ego to the door
Ego has
no place in a martial arts school, for student and teacher alike. Easy to
say, harder to do. One of the comments left on the first post made me
really think. You don’t have to be the toughest person in the room.
Yes, you need considerable skill, but you don’t necessarily have to be the most
talented martial artist in the place to be a good teacher. There are
incredible martial artists who are terrible teachers and there are decent
martial artists who are incredible teachers. Pure skill does not a good
teacher make. It’s a teacher’s ability to inspire and improve their
student’s abilities that counts. Again, it’s not about you. (I see
a pattern forming)
4. Everyone
has doubts
Well,
maybe not everyone, but it appears there isn’t an “ah-ha” moment when you are
magically ready to teach. Most people have doubts about being ready to
take on that ‘official’ role of teacher. This is ok. It might even
be preferred. Perhaps it’s a touch of humility or perhaps it’s born from
not wishing to waste anyone’s time if you’re not that good at it. The
thing is, your students will thrive if you’ve got the right stuff. You may not be sure but they will let
you know, through progress, comment and action. We’re not always the best
judge of ourselves and we can be our own worst critics. Try to focus on
the students. If they’re doing well, progressing and having a good time, then you’re
doing well. And it’s about them, not you, right?
5. Never
stop training
Just
because you’re in the teaching role doesn’t mean that you’re not still a
student as well. Always try to improve your skills, learn new things and get
better at what you do. Show a life-long commitment to the martial
arts. It will not only inspire your students to follow suit, but it keeps
your teaching alive, constantly evolving and improving. You can always
improve and in doing so, you’ll be able to bring back new techniques or
concepts to your students. Stagnation is a bad thing in the martial
arts. So go to seminars, train with other martial artists, train as a
student of a Sensei or instructor, and most importantly, keep an open
mind. By always striving to improve yourself, you can keep an beginner’s
mindset, stave off ego and be a better teacher to your own students. And
in the end, isn’t it about them..?
Those are my top 5 things to think about when contemplating the role of martial arts teacher. I’m sure there’s lots more. Please feel
free to share.
I think you have it all nailed - you'll make a great teacher. The only thing I'd add is expect to make mistakes (as one does as a student) and expect to get better with practice (as one does as a student also). Teaching and learning run in parallel, with the learning a few steps ahead - hence the meaning of sensei - the one who went before.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post, JM. I wish there was a way for everyone who wants to open a dojo to have to read this and consider it before moving forward.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to add to #1. I think there should be a hierarchy in terms of priorities.
1. The Students - No students. No school.
2. The Teacher - A healthy dojo requires a steady hand at the wheel.
3. The Dojo - To ensure that students and teacher have a place to come together, then the health of the dojo (income, primarily) needs to be in balance.
4. The Art - The art comes last because the art would not exist without each of the above being in place first (except Dojo - since you can train people almost anywhere).
Sue,
ReplyDeleteGreat point. Expect to make mistakes, learn from them and move on. Embrace them as learning opportunities. It's funny, most of the time when you think of Sensei, you think of a specific person. The one who went before - it speaks volumes and is a good reminder to learn by teaching. Thanks.
Brett,
Thanks for the kind words. Hmmm, similar to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, I like it. Each level needs to be satisfied before the next is met. And just like with Maslow, there's another level of mastery and self perfection on the top, something very few achieve but everyone strives for...
Teaching is a different skill set to practice, therefore, learn to teach in addition to learning the subject you are about to teach. Learning to analyse a defence or technique is invaluable and generally absent in the martial arts. A good guide to this process is Carr's Sport Mechanics for Coaches. An understanding of mechanical force is also helpful because force is what makes every technique taught in the martial arts work and focuses our attention on the essence of the techniques. And then of course there is the 'core of all learning' which is based on how humans learn. We can produce far better teachers by teaching them how to teach, and by teaching students how they should be taught.
ReplyDeleteHi John,
ReplyDeleteMy remote notifications have been sketchy so sorry about the delay in responding. I find the study of teaching methodologies fascinating. How to reach diverse audiences and facilitate learning is definitely a huge part of being a good Sensei or teacher. Thanks.