Being able to re grom a school

[terryl965]

What is the best way to rebuild a school, I do not want to get get rid of everybody and starting over symdrome? I am looking at restructuring the school and I need some advise about how to do it from some of you that may have done it in the past.

Thank you once again.

 

[stoneheart]

Depends what you mean by restructuring. Do you mean changing schedules? Instructors? Curriculum? Emphasis? Perhaps you can explain more what you are trying to accomplish.

I have been teaching kobudo at a generic karate/taekwondo school for the last few months. In their case, they found that their emphasis on point sparring tournament competition was actually driving away potential students, and so they added a couple of classes a week where I come in to teach Okinawan weapons to anyone interested. They don't charge anything extra for my lessons, but apparently it's been a success since my classes are usually some of their largest in attendence. The owner of the school has been discussing with me some opportunities to also teach traditional karate to test if this would be a better situation for his school. It would make for an interesting transition however since all his current instructors came up under a sport system and they could not easily switch.

 

[terryl965]

Yes we are losing some insreuctor and gaining a few more, I need to find the right niche so everybody can get along wirth each other. We are a traditional and Olympic school, I teach for the most part as of late I have been giving more responsibilities to other people and only doing classes that are a little more to my liking. I need to find common ground for all to enjoy. If I am going to keep paying the bills I need the school to break even. Making money is not so much about the structure of the school as is the family enviroment.

 

[stoneheart]

Making money is not so much about the structure of the school as is the family enviroment.

Hmm, I'm not sure if you are saying what you mean to say? To me, the structure of a school reinforces the atmosphere and vice versa. If you want a family friendly school, you must offer convenient class times with a less rigorous curriculum. That's just the reality of things. And if you want to make money, well, you have to make your school either popular to a wide band of people or you need to have an excellent hit ratio versus the segment you are targeting.

Why do you think your school is not as popular as it could be? That's the undercurrent I am reading from your posts. That's probably the first step to identifying what changes you need to make. I believe you said earlier in another thread that the class you personally teach gets a few complaints due to it being a little tough. What about the other classes? Are they popular and profitable?

 

[terryl965]

Hmm, I'm not sure if you are saying what you mean to say? To me, the structure of a school reinforces the atmosphere and vice versa. If you want a family friendly school, you must offer convenient class times with a less rigorous curriculum. That's just the reality of things. And if you want to make money, well, you have to make your school either popular to a wide band of people or you need to have an excellent hit ratio versus the segment you are targeting.

Why do you think your school is not as popular as it could be? That's the undercurrent I am reading from your posts. That's probably the first step to identifying what changes you need to make. I believe you said earlier in another thread that the class you personally teach gets a few complaints due to it being a little tough. What about the other classes? Are they popular and profitable?

Mainly because I do not do the good job syndrome and I teach to rough for alot of folks. In my area the real succesful schools are the ones that do that positive reinforcement and teaches bubble gum self defense. I am not one of those people I kinda tell it like it is when people want the truth I seem to tell it to them. Wrong approach I know.

 

[bluekey88]

I'll preface this by saying that I hold you in the highest respect.

however, I think the answer to your question is in your answer above. I think you may need to look at how you approach teaching. There is a fine line between telling it like it is and overly brutal honesty (I charge over way to often myself). Is there any way you can maintain your honesty, integrity and the rigour of your classes while adding some positivity?

I guess what I'm saying that early on in my psychoology training...I had a mentor who taught me that you can say anything to anybody...the trick is finding the words, tone and timing to say it. It's a difficult trick, but one that I had to learn in order to do my job....it's also something I use when I teach TKD. Some students need me to be tough like a drill intstructor...others need me to be more of a coach and cheerleader, while others need me to show them a tedchnique then get out of the way. It's my job to figure out what they need (the student sometimes can tell you how they learn...often they do not know0 then figure how to give that to them...without comprimising my standards or my priniciples.

Maybe you could get some intructors or master whose opinion you value and trust to give you soem feedback on your teaching style? Soemtimes having some fair outside feedback can lead to insights that are hard to come to when your in the middle of things.

Peace,
Erik

 

[Frostbite]

Mainly because I do not do the good job syndrome and I teach to rough for alot of folks. In my area the real succesful schools are the ones that do that positive reinforcement and teaches bubble gum self defense. I am not one of those people I kinda tell it like it is when people want the truth I seem to tell it to them. Wrong approach I know.

Sounds like the type of place I'd want to be if I was going to take TKD. I definitely wouldn't compromise your standards in the interest of making everyone feel like a unique little snowflake. Hell, you could even use it as a marketing tool. Focus on the fact that you teach traditional, uncompromising butt kicking. If anything, I think you should try to put even more distance between yourself and those other schools. I understand you want to grow your business but if the only way to do that is to sell yourself short, maybe it's not worth it.

 

[terryl965]

I'll preface this by saying that I hold you in the highest respect.

however, I think the answer to your question is in your answer above. I think you may need to look at how you approach teaching. There is a fine line between telling it like it is and overly brutal honesty (I charge over way to often myself). Is there any way you can maintain your honesty, integrity and the rigour of your classes while adding some positivity?

I guess what I'm saying that early on in my psychoology training...I had a mentor who taught me that you can say anything to anybody...the trick is finding the words, tone and timing to say it. It's a difficult trick, but one that I had to learn in order to do my job....it's also something I use when I teach TKD. Some students need me to be tough like a drill intstructor...others need me to be more of a coach and cheerleader, while others need me to show them a tedchnique then get out of the way. It's my job to figure out what they need (the student sometimes can tell you how they learn...often they do not know0 then figure how to give that to them...without comprimising my standards or my priniciples.

Maybe you could get some intructors or master whose opinion you value and trust to give you soem feedback on your teaching style? Soemtimes having some fair outside feedback can lead to insights that are hard to come to when your in the middle of things.

Peace,
Erik

Erik I have been making small changes over the last year and even taken a couple of classes about speaking to people. The problem I have is when someone ensist that I be totally honest, it triggers me and then it is over, I need more grooming I will admit that.

 

[bluekey88]

That's good to hear. Sounds like you're doing many of the right things...I'd see keep up with that. If someone asks for honesty, in my experience, that is usually the last thing they want. However, there is usually a way to give them that honesty in a way they will hear it. Not always easy to do I admit.

In the end, I guess what I'm suggesting is finding ways you can keep your classes rigourous...but increase the amount of positive reinfirocement that's in the classes. And by positive reinforcement, I don;t mean candy coating everything...but rather, as things that happen after a behavior to increase the chances of seeing that behavior again (the technical meaning).

basically, people will put up with a whole lot if they find the activity reinforcing...it becomes the instructors job to figure out where the reinforcement and motivation is at. Even the firest flowers will flock to the most rigourous and demanding classes if they are getting something of value from it. What that reinforement is does not necessarily even have to be pleasant...just something that increases the cahnce of doing the next kcik better, or showing up again for the next class or what have you.

Peace,
Erik

 

[goingd]

When someone needs correction it is not fair to not correct them. A Taekwondo instructor does not have to resemble a football coach when teaching (just as an example, not that I would think you do). My master has said it is important to catch students doing something good. Not "candy coating" it as some have put it, but if a student genuinely does something right, let them know, even if it's a small detail. Maybe a student doesn't have a perfect side kick, but they did do a good job at turing or chambering their leg; so you don't need to say, "good side kick!" but you can certainly say, "good job turning for your side kick! Just make sure *insert correction." There has to be some kind of consistent confidence generation to keep an American mind set returning to classes month in and month out.

Greg L.
^~^

 

[Kwan Jang]

Terry, I remember years ago when my instructors went from a very strict, traditional teaching style to using positive reinforcement. I thought that they were selling out and that the high level of quality we had developed would suffer. I was very opposed to that change at the time. After a transition period, the quality actually went up. We were no longer driving people out of the school by our old methods and with greater retention, we were able to give greater value to more people.

The key I have found is to be a good finder. Look for what a student is (truly) doing right and then reinforce that. Most people will build a lot faster based on their successes than on their failures. You can and should keep your integrity, yu just need to be willing to learn and grow as a teacher yourself. Most people will see through the fluff and blowing smoke for what it is anyhow. But if you look for what parts they are doing right and build from that, they will make better progress overall. That is not being a sell out in my mind, that is giving greater value to your students.

As far as the intensity of your classes go, it is important to keep in mind the level of the class you are working with and keep that appropriate to said level. However, like another poster pointed out, there is much to be said for being known as the school with the highest intensity and the highest quality among your advanced students in the area. I like that being part of my school's niche. I just prefer to build strong black belts and their character rather than just eliminate the weak ones.

There is a school in the next town over that makes quite a bit more money than I do and one reason for their financial success is that they water down the requirements and never really push their students to really grow. They aren't THAT bad (it's not like they are ATA or anything), in fact they are probably around average among a typical USA school in intensity and quality. If we were to drop our standards to their levels, I feel that we would be doing similar levels business-wise. We do the business end as well as they do, but there really are a higher percentage of people who want to say they take martial arts or are a black belt than to grow into being one. OTOH, I still have great retention and make a very good living for my family and pay a good wage to my staff. And I really have a sense of accomplishment in the value I give and the quality of my black belts.

I would really suggest looking at trying the positive reinforcement methods of teaching. From my own experience, I can attest to the results. You can keep your integrity and the quailty of your school, but by changing some of your methods, you may find that you can give even greater value to a larger number of people. It may take some time and effort on your part and the transition won't always be smooth, but we master instructors need something to make us grow, too.

 

[miguksaram]

Mainly because I do not do the good job syndrome and I teach to rough for alot of folks. In my area the real succesful schools are the ones that do that positive reinforcement and teaches bubble gum self defense. I am not one of those people I kinda tell it like it is when people want the truth I seem to tell it to them. Wrong approach I know.

Not it isn't the wrong approach. Self esteem and self confidence isn't learned by blowing smoke up the kids' arses. It is earned through the hard work through trial and error. Outside a beating them down, your approach is what is needed. It is the approach that I admire about my mentor Sensei Sharkey.

When I first saw him teach he walked across the room to a kid who was clearly not doing the technique right. He said and I quote "You little freak do it right, you know better than that. Now show me." The kid smiled and showed him the proper way. That is when I knew that he was the instructor I wanted for myself and my kids. He was a coach not a "friend". Which sounds like the way you are.

 

[bluekey88]

He said and I quote "You little freak do it right, you know better than that. Now show me."

While I have no problems with the latter part of the statement "...you can do vetter, now show me." as that is a valid way of giving correction in a teaching situation. I have HUGE problems with the use of the term "You little freak"...putting a student down is more often than not a surefire way to lose them. They get more focused on the error and lose sight of waht needs to happen to correct that error.

Granted, the instr4uctor may have made that statement in a pleasant or humorous manner...but, humor, to be effective on a teaching situation often needs to be self-deprecating and not at the studebnt's expense.

I would not looka t taht example as the paradigm of the tough but effective instructor. Again, it is entirely possible...and IMNSHO as an instructor, psychologist, teacher and parent...even preferable to be firm (even tough) but also be positive. To present lessons in such a way as to make the student understand and be motivated then to change their behavior to accomplish the task set before them. Toughness for toughness sake loses sight of the ultimate goal...wihich is to get the student perfomring better. Anything that deos not serve that ultimate goal is a disservice to the student and is a huge waste of the isntructors time.

Peace,
Erik

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Hey Terry, keep working hard at it and over time
your school will grow!