Most of you know my background by now-when I started teaching I had just turned 19 and just been promoted to first Dan.
When I graded, I spent six solid months training every day perfecting everything. I drove 4 hours at least once a month, usually twice, to train at our head school for a weekend. I worked on my strength and conditioning, got stronger than I had ever been, faster than I had ever been, in order to be the best martial artist I had ever been when I became a black belt. And I was. I scored high marks on everything, set a blistering time for the physical test, I was very proud of my performance. I felt I had earned my black belt and I could wear it with pride. I promised I would feel the same way about all of my own promotions and those of my students.
Fast forward to a year later. I had been teaching three nights a week, getting up at 6 to get my workout in, training every spare minute and going to engineering school. I had the intention of grading to 2nd dan as fast as possible. I had a black stripe student who is closely related to me who had gotten the rank years before, and she wanted to get her black belt. Ok, cool.
I start to have to prod her to go to class, she never finished a warm up, more often than not didnt finish sparring rounds, started missing classes for no reason and never practiced.
What did I do? Let her grade anyway. At the same time I got my 2nd Dan. She half assed the grading, barely passed, and hasn't trained since. She talked about wanting to coach, and "inspire future females", when she moved to go to university, and hasn't bothered to make a class. She's a 10 minute walk from our head school. Doesn't stop her from telling everybody "I'm a black belt".
While I don't blame her, I am horribly embarrassed that I played a part in her getting her black belt. I feel it undermines my credibility as a teacher and as a martial artist, and I wish I could take it back. Anyone else ever feel like this?
When I graded, I spent six solid months training every day perfecting everything. I drove 4 hours at least once a month, usually twice, to train at our head school for a weekend. I worked on my strength and conditioning, got stronger than I had ever been, faster than I had ever been, in order to be the best martial artist I had ever been when I became a black belt. And I was. I scored high marks on everything, set a blistering time for the physical test, I was very proud of my performance. I felt I had earned my black belt and I could wear it with pride. I promised I would feel the same way about all of my own promotions and those of my students.
Fast forward to a year later. I had been teaching three nights a week, getting up at 6 to get my workout in, training every spare minute and going to engineering school. I had the intention of grading to 2nd dan as fast as possible. I had a black stripe student who is closely related to me who had gotten the rank years before, and she wanted to get her black belt. Ok, cool.
I start to have to prod her to go to class, she never finished a warm up, more often than not didnt finish sparring rounds, started missing classes for no reason and never practiced.
What did I do? Let her grade anyway. At the same time I got my 2nd Dan. She half assed the grading, barely passed, and hasn't trained since. She talked about wanting to coach, and "inspire future females", when she moved to go to university, and hasn't bothered to make a class. She's a 10 minute walk from our head school. Doesn't stop her from telling everybody "I'm a black belt".
While I don't blame her, I am horribly embarrassed that I played a part in her getting her black belt. I feel it undermines my credibility as a teacher and as a martial artist, and I wish I could take it back. Anyone else ever feel like this?