What keeps the long term teachers going?

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Jim Hulse
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What keeps the long term teachers going?

Post by Jim Hulse »

What keeps the long term techers going? People who have been teching for twenty years or more plus their own period of training before that. We all have times where we struggle to continue, or is it an experience that I alone have encountered!! We spend so much time leading and motivating students and in some cases mentoring other instructors that we sometimes forget ourselves. I realise that anyone running a dojo will be leading and motivating but I would like to direct my questions at the long term teachers if that is ok.

I said to my wife, Gill, the other day that I think I could finish practicing karate at this moment in time. Gill's reply unnerved me. "If you finish now I don't think that you will ever start again and that I would regret it".

I trained that night and it was a great session. So here's to another twenty eight years.
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gmattson
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What keeps the long term teachers going?

Post by gmattson »

I can't remember life without Uechi-ryu Jim! I believe, however, it is much easier to stick with it while teaching than to simply be a student. We must show up for class, we must work out. . . even on those days when it might be easier to just vegitate in front of the tv with a six pack.

(must run. . . will add to this later)

Back I had a chance to read what Bill posted and agree 100% with what he said. Although some of us have elected to make the martial arts our profession, I doubt if many do it for the money. Its only been in the last 10 years that (a few)teachers have begun to make reasonable salaries while the rest of us have learned to make do with less in order to do something we love. In life their are trade-offs. I've seen what chasing the almighty dollar has done to some of my friends. Personally, I prefer to enjoy life, learning how to maximize the time I've been given, doing. . . learning. . . experiencing! The martial arts have allowed me to meet wonderful people, help many become better individuals and be able to do many other activities and have other interests.

Bill also mentioned something important regarding balance in one's life. Whether student or teacher, don't allow yourself to become one-dimentional. Make the martial arts a part of your life, not dominate your life. That way you will be want to stay with it a lifetime.

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GEM

[This message has been edited by gmattson (edited 08-23-99).]
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Bill Glasheen
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What keeps the long term teachers going?

Post by Bill Glasheen »

Jim

Funny you should bring this subject up.

There are times when it is all so clear. It's when a struggling student makes a major achievement, or an individual expresses appreciation, or when you realize how much you have learned after all these years. And then there are the days when work and family and bureaucracy and daily B.S. make you question what the heck you are doing.

For me, I teach because if I didn't then I wouldn't still be practicing. I push my students to achieve so that I can teach more advanced material so that I can understand this new material better. I teach (nonprofit, by the way) because there is a compulsion within me that makes me do it. Somehow I think I am a happier, healthier person because of the routine that it demands. Giving always gives to the giver, in a strange way. Sometimes the karate creates problems in other areas of my life. But mostly I don't put all my life ambitions in one basket. To do so would mean that my mood would swing with the successes and failures of this one activity (work, family, etc). It would also mean that life would have no perspective. Issues and problems in life are universal; there is synergy involved in applying yourself in multiple arenas.

And deep down inside, there are a few of us who hope that we will live on forever through all the lives we have touched. That and procreation are the only path to immortality.

- Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill Glasheen (edited 08-23-99).]
paul giella
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What keeps the long term teachers going?

Post by paul giella »

Like Bill I continue to teach for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it keeps me honest regarding my own training (i.e.; I wouldn't get up in front of the class if a weren't in reasonably good shape, and I wouldn't ask the class to do exercises and techniques that i could not at least work on with them... so I have to keep my own level of training up to a solid standard).I also agree with the sentiment Bill expressed about the path to immortality... the older we get, the more concerned we are with passing on something of value to the next generation. The Hillary Clinton quote about how it takes a village to raise a child is apt here; the generations working together over time sustain the community. The "elders" are the culture bearers, who lived the history of Uechi-ryu in America from its inception. The stories we could tell! The collective memory of our tribe is passed on in a number of ways _ this internet forum is one of them _ but the anecdotes shared in class during a rest break also serve the useful purpose of carrying the group forward through time.
Jim Hulse
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What keeps the long term teachers going?

Post by Jim Hulse »

Thank you for the replies.

The majority of my students are dan grades and I am able to work at a very high level with these. The discussions are always fruitful particularly the heavily debated ones. I agree with George that leading the students keeps you going when there is a warm fire and a six pack. However, the point of continuation through students strikes a note. George has met Scott my son and I hope that he can agree that he is a good student. He will be taking is yondan around March next year. I always envisaged him taking over the running of the dojo when my limbs give up. He was always a source of strong debate within the dojo. Kids always argue back!!!! He recently joined the armed forces in the UK. Maybe this temporary loss of immortality through the combined son/student was to blame. Wait until he comes home on leave!!

I can not see life without Uechi Ryu either. When I went to Okinawa in 1981 I had the horrendous task of making a speech to Uechi Ryu Board. In my speech I said that prcticing Uechi Ryu Karate Do had made a big difference to my life. It still does.

Do your students motivate you? A small class can have more impact on how a class performs. For example, I can go to the dojo with something in mind and this can be changed by how many are there and whether they are high or low ranks. I have never really had a large amount of students (hundreds) so I do not know if this problem occurs at that level. There are students and events in the dojo that make a bigger difference than others. A difficult student coming good. A shattered confidence rebuilding. A good student leaving.

Our highs and lows are compounded by numbers. Our own personal highs and lows and then our students. This may even include students who now run their own dojo. As a student the highs and lows are your own and singular.
Gary Santaniello
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What keeps the long term teachers going?

Post by Gary Santaniello »

To all,

I find that by teaching and studying is gratifying in different ways. Yes, to see a student progress with ones help is a feeling of accomplishment. For those who continue to work towards perfection it is a continuous path.

I thank George Mattson for having instilled upon me the concept of "multi-dimensional" veiw. For many years it appeared as though there was only "one" way or veiw to do things. Now it is much easier to workout with others whom do things differently without thinking "right way - wrong way". Some see things from a different perspective and that's find. Now i see oportunity to expand on knowledge.

Not only does karate help with "inner balance" but i see how it helps one deal with everday life. At least for me. No matter how bad the day may seem, the next class is always there. Somehow "the way" seems to reference into many situations outside the dojo.

One who teaches as a business may find things to be slightly differenet. The worry about the bills, the student count, no benefits as in a company with retirement 401, stocks, insurance benefits, etc. etc.

I have been involved in uechiryu for 25 years and i also cannot remember life without it. I think that many who drop out after attainning their shodan rank have not seen beyond their limitations of self.

Somethings are not for everyone. Surely none of the "Arts" are a thing of nessecity. Jobs, transportation, food, clothing etc. etc. are. For many are content with just living never striving to do anything more than that.

Jim, i think it is fair to say that you are not "alone" in how you feel at times. I am not a "long term" instructor nor do i teach large groups but i do feel my 25 years of study has given me ample appreciation for the "long term".

Bill says:

"I push my students to achieve so that I can teach more advanced material so that I can understand this new material better" also'

"There is a compulsion within me that makes me do it. Somehow I am a happier,
healthier person because of the routine it demands".

I could not agree more! The comittment or "attatchment" to it all seems to give one a meaning or purpose in life.

------------------
Gary S.
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