The Art of Truly Teaching Children
Parents decide on martial arts over other activities for many reasons.
Families contact us wishing for their child to develop discipline, focus, better listening skills, self defense and to enhance their character.
Every martial art school from Jiu Jitsu to Karate flashes these buzz words when marketing (who wouldn’t want that for their child?) but teachers often don’t understand how those qualities actually materialize.
Most businesses, including martial arts schools, are in a race for growth.
Growth comes with consequences.
A revolving door of clientele.
Less attention.
Standardized approaches.
Classes that are structured to cover the bases for everybody.
As each individual needs a different approach, when something is made for everybody, it is made for nobody.
Should a teacher determine a student does not fit into the mold presented for them, they may be ignored or disingenuously engaged, while preferential treatment and attention will be given to those that do.
The children who ‘fit’ have a tremendous gift.
They have access to naturally cultivating positive qualities through whatever sport or activity they do.
What then can be done for the children who need a helping hand to nudge them towards discovering and imbuing these qualities in themselves?
The usual approach is one of structure, control and affirmations.
A strong arm dragging them towards qualities they do not desire for themselves.
Qualities they learn to turn on and off like a light switch to make their teachers and parents happy, and when the perceived threat of consequences is gone, they return to their previous baseline.
“Even though you try to put people under control, it is impossible. You cannot do it. The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous. Then they will be in control in a wider sense. So it is with people: first let them do what they want and watch them. This is the best policy. To ignore them is not good. That is the worst policy. The second worst is trying to control them. The best one is to watch them, just to watch them, without trying to control them.”
― Shunryu Suzuki
When a teacher or school is not focused on growth or superficial goals, the opportunity arises to carefully observe each student just as they are and develop an individualized path towards success for them.
Carefully presenting challenges, opportunities, recognition, compassion, discipline and a strong, compelling voice at the exact right time.
This teacher is ten steps ahead, laying traps for the student to fall into, and rewards for them to discover while being present to observe the student’s reactions to them.
In this way it is an art to bring about desire and positive qualities out of a student.
The student will feel as though the teacher has done little to nothing at all.
This is the only approach that is long lasting.
The art of teaching is not about bringing tools to a student and telling them to use them.
It is to create the stimulus for the student to feel as if they created the tools themselves, along with the personal understanding of their utility from their own experiences.
“When a student has reached heights that they themselves did not think were possible, and believes I had little to no part in helping them arrive there… This is when I know I have done my job as their teacher.”
— John Nicolichuk