2023-12-18

Teaching my regular classes at the Ross Farnsworth - East Valley YMCA.

Tonight I announced the results of last week’s kyu grading for the youth and family class, and we had a small grading for two students in the adult class. Everyone in the youth and family class passed, though some to differing degrees. As a reminder, for students under 16, I divide 9th - 7th kyu into four belts each. This gives me the ability to reward progress, even if it’s not enough to make it all the way to the next “full” kyu grade. In my experience, it’s much better to tell a child “You passed part of the way” than “You failed to make it all the way.” (And to be clear, this has nothing to do with revenue - I only charge for the belt.) For adults of all ranks, and children from 6th kyu on, I reduce this to two, so I can differentiate between those who meet and those who exceed expectations.

After class, we also had a small chat about tardiness and being out of uniform. I don’t punish these things, because I feel like they punish themselves. I’m sure I feel differently about this than most do, but here’s what I told them:

Of course I want you to be here on time, and in uniform, but the most important part is being here. If it’s a choice between being late and being absent, be late. Likewise, if it’s a choice between being out of uniform or not being here, be out of uniform. Cars break down, work runs late, and sometimes the laundry doesn’t get done, but you can’t learn anything if you’re not here at all, so just show up.

Having said that, I also make sure I have an understanding with my students: I respect that karate may not be their #1 priority. (In fact, it probably shouldn’t be.) In exchange, they understand that their rate of progress is directly proportional to the hours they put in.