So....Why Do You Teach?

[Mary S]

I often see on these forums reasons why people study karate. Lots of students have different reasons why they come to the dojo.

I would be interested to find out why people teach.

Is it the love of the art? The opportunity to plant your seeds of knowledge to others? To pass on what your sensei taught you? To continue your learning process? For the big bucks?

Please be nice on this thread....and honest.

[RACastanet]

I enjoy it.

Rich

[CANDANeh]

I learn from it.
I get to do more basics
I hopefully help ensure I have partners in future
Yep...it`s about "I"

[Bill Glasheen]

As has been stated in the past, there are three steps to learning.

1) Watching

2) Doing

3) Teaching

So in a way, teaching brings your learning/knowledge to the highest level.

I was forced into teaching when I was isolated and my teacher left. It was either teach or start all over again (a second time). I decided to take the plunge.

Teaching in general is fun. It usually doesn't pay squat compared to other jobs, but it has its selfish rewards.

What REALLY helps you learn is helping people on the extremes of the statistical spectrum to advance. The smart/talented people challenge you to bring someone to levels beyond perhaps what you yourself can do. The challenged folk make you learn how to break complex things down into bite-sized pieces so that they get it. Both require you to know your material thoroughly before you can do that.

I also enjoy seeing what it takes to get information solidly in someone's brain and body as efficiently as possible. It's one thing to sort of kind of know something. It's quite something else to be so thoroughly familiar with it that it's part of your subconscious. Getting people there requires quite a bit of knowledge about how the brain and body work.

- Bill

[Mills75]

I love to see thinking turn into instinct. It's awesome when you see someone beginning and thinking and contemplating every step and then as time goes on the steps become part of them and you no longer see the constant computing and you start to see flowing like a river without being restrained by analyzing.

I really love to see the metamorphosis. It's like a caterpillar with a million legs to trip over turning into a graceful butterfly and as the change happens people rightfully become more confident and they start to gain the knowledge to relay it to the other caterpillars in order for them to become graceful butterflies.

I really love the personal success and the team success and just witnessing the evolution of whole process.

Jeff

[Stryke]

Becuase I love to train , test , improve , and share , and that means sometimes I`m the one in position to teach .

Getting folks competant so I can test harder is also a factor .

[Glenn]

As has been stated in the past, there are three steps to learning.

1) Watching

2) Doing

3) Teaching

- Bill

And that works in pretty much any endeavor. I have learned a lot more about geography teaching it at a college than I ever have as a student.

[John Giacoletti]

In the graduate English program at UNC Chapel Hill, the third step of the learning process was not "teaching," but writing and research.

Those students who couldn't hack it as a research scholar in an academic discipline were asked to leave or enter the College of Education.

The bywords were:

Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.

I don't necessarily agree, but it's a provocative statement.

Some of us humble people claim no particular excellence in either teaching or writing.

Master Ihor Rymuruk writes in his A MASTER'S SECRETS OF UECHI RYU

One really begins to learn when he starts to teach.
One truly begins to understand when he starts to write.

[Mary S]

Great responses so far - I'm hoping for some more!!

One of the reasons I asked this question was because I think teaching is a great way to instil confidence. A great way to do this is having your students teach. After all, a teacher's greatest asset is his/her students.

Teaching opens up a lot of doors to students. It gives them a chance to go from follower to leader. There is a whole different feeling from being in the group to leading the group.

Often my favourite classes were on Friday nights, where a few of the senior students would come to a white belt class, we would all get 5 minutes to instruct on a warm-up exercise or one technique and everyone would have to do it. Sensei would often start with a higher belt and intersperse the lower belts so they could get a flavour of what was going on. This freed up sensei to walk among the students, assessing what was going on at all ranks, or participate, showing that the sensei was human too!

Some people freeze when they are put in a position where they have to lead. (Aminals aren't the only ones to smell fear) Being given the chance to work through this fear is definitely a good thing and, to my mind, a gift every sensei should give his/her students.

It was amazing to see the light bulbs come on as students gave a different perspective of what they were learning. It was also amazing to see a shy, quiet person bloom! And often it was an on-the-spot moment. You never knew who was going to be called next but you HAD to be ready. Not everyone came out with stellar techniques but everyone had something ... whether it be a stretching exercise, a sparring technique or even just sanchin stepping. Often one student would take the previous student's technique and add on to it. The dojo would literally buzz after class!

And the dojo is a very safe environment for this type of activity. Confidence in the dojo lends to confidence in a less friendly situation.

[miked]

Mary,

I suspect that many teach because students have come to ask for instruction.

In my opinion, it is difficult to turn away from someone who has sought you out for instruction and who shows dedication and determination to continue to train on a regular basis.

There are lots of benefits to teaching but I am sure that when discouraged for any number of reasons, instructors have continued to teach due to their respect for the students and the desire to "spread" their particular system.

All the best,

Mike D.
Los Angeles
www.uechi-la.org

[Mills75]

I really enjoyed Ihor Rymaruk's book that was given to me by my sensei to read. I really thought it was a great piece on Uechi. I even wrote a nice review on Amazon for the book and Rymaruk Sensei sent me a letter of thanks and told me he was glad that I enjoyed it. It's a very good book I feel.

I remember a part in the book that even talked about new students removing their shirts for Sanchin in front of class for the first time and how even something simple like that is a big step in showing unity and confidence. It seems a lot of students for whatever reason are reluctant to go shirtless for sanchin until they get comfortable and even something like that is a big step for new people.

I really enjoyed that book there is a lot of good stuff in their that he covers quite nicely.


Jeff

[John Giacoletti]

Jeff wrote:

I'm very glad to hear that you contributed a review to Amazon on Master Rymaruk's book, Jeff:

I really enjoyed Ihor Rymaruk's book that was given to me by my sensei to read. I really thought it was a great piece on Uechi. I even wrote a nice review on Amazon for the book and Rymaruk Sensei sent me a letter of thanks and told me he was glad that I enjoyed it. It's a very good book I feel.

I have urged people on these Forums to use the book as well. I really liked the historical photos some of which go back to visits by USA students in 1968.

One of Master Rymaruk's teachers was Sensei Frank Gorman who taught at our school in Largo, FL for a while after he moved here from Massachusetts. Rymaruk then became aligned with Master Ken Nakamatsu who was also our Senior Okinawan advisor for several years. Sensei Rymaruk's version of Uechi style and his training methods
are very much in line with what I've been taught.

A little noticed feature in the book that got my attention was Justin Rymaruk, his son. At 16 or 17 he seemed to be a very promising young Uechi shodan. More importantly, you must be a talented teacher to have the trust of your son as a student.

Sensei Mattson, Sensei Dollar and now Sensei Rymaruk have, through their published writings, introduced Uechi Karate to tens of thousands of readers.

By the way, Jeff, have you considered writing some pieces for submission to Wikipedia on some aspects of Uechi?

If and when Gordie Seizan Breyette writes his biography of Master Toyama, I am eager to review it for Amazon. Put it on your Things to Do list.

[Mills75]

That will be great when Master Toyama's biography comes out. I never really go on Wikipedia much to be honest so I'd probably not contribute anything there since I'm not that familiar with using the site. I admire Gorman and Nakamatsu Sensei as well. There were some very interesting and great shots of them in the book. Justin Rymaruk does look very strong and very able for his young age. I agree he looks very talented and it was nice to see him in the book. I bet he's going to be another important Uechi figure in the future to read about. The book is certainly a very good one and I really got a lot from it. Much of it goes along with our training format also. Lots of good and solid information to absorb and enjoy.

Jeff

[Mills75]

I neglected to mention that I have also heard many good things about your Sensei. Martin Sensei is a very talented man and a former all Okinawan karate champion so he has a lot of respect in the Uechi world also. So best wishes to him and your fine school also.

Jeff