Does yor dojang have a waiting area?

[NPTKD]

I was wondering how many schools have a waiting area. Its seem like most of the problems that start in my school begin not on the mat but in the waiting area.

 

[ATC]

What kind of problems, and when you say waiting room do you mean dressing room or an area where parents and others can watch?

 

[ShelleyK]

We have a watching area, we have a 2-level seating area that faces the mats so parents and other spectators can watch us while in class or testing.

My only problem is when the parents bring the little kids and they run all over and are loud...it pretty distracting

 

[bluekey88]

We have a a small foiyer area...not often used except during sparring class as kids pad up. We have seating all around the mat area for parents to wacth class. We also have a playroom area for young siblings.

No real problems (other than occassional noisy kids in the playroom). What sorts of problems are ou referring to?

Peace,
Erik

 

[Cyclona]

Yes it does, there s big window so you can see the classes from the waiting room. My only problem with it is that there's a TV in the waiting room.

 

[terryl965]

We have a couple of seating area's and no problem in all the years I have been training.

 

[searcher]

I have a waiting area, it is the floor on one side of the room. The parents can sit there, but they are not allowed to talk. And if they disturb my class, they are asked to leave. If they decide to get into an arguement with each other, they are not allowed to come back. If they pull their kids, it is their loss.

 

[Jphtkd]

Waiting area or not, as long as there are children involved, you get to deal with pain-in-the-*** parents. Gossiping in the dojang will happen with or without a waiting area. Parents network, exchange phone numbers and email addresses... I even had one parent chasing another parent down in the parking lot to gossip.

In the last 20 years I have seen it all. I am a firm believer in having a closed off viewing room, making sure your restrooms are in the front of your dojang so that parents never have an excuse to set foot on the mats. Other than that, there is not a lot that can be done about it.

I can say this, I have kicked out more than one student because the parent cost the school money. If I have a parent referring students to purchase gear from the internet or pulling parents aside to bad mouth the school, I courteously ask them to find somewhere else to train. If they are happy with the lessons their child is receiving, they should be spending their money with us, to help us afford to provide the best possible program for their child. If they are unhappy with the classes, they should be training somewhere else anyway.

All of the finacially successful schools I know of have viewing rooms. This lets the parents feel more involved, helps develop report with the families of the school, and gives the instructor incentive to provide excellent lessons.

On a side note, viewing rooms are nice because sometimes the parents need the moral and character lessons as much as their children do. It is nice to have them listen in and hopefully pick up a thing or two.

 

[NPTKD]

Thank man..... you get it! I was wondering if it was just me.

 

[jim777]

Yes we do. We put in a fridge and a stove as well, and may end up making hot dogs and such for people who are waiting for their kids. We have a few tables as well, and a TV and DVD player and a stack of Disney type movies.