Lynne
Master of Arts
Last night, was my first time assistant teaching. Since getting my 3rd gup, I'd been somewhat nervous about teaching. I was excited but had some trepidation. Fear of the unknown. Also, I know the kids can be a handful at times, especially during "fun" week and Black Belt Club Week. They have a tendency to act up by removing their belts and agitate one another. They'll ignore the instructors and even try to get into enough trouble to be told to sit out.
My daughter had given me lots of tips and informed me of protocol, so by the time I entered the dojang I was ready and much more calm.
I was assigned to work with Master L (we have four masters in addition to our Sa Ba Nim). There was another red belt adult and one red belt child assisting Master L's group. Our first group were white belts. Master L asked me to work one-on-one with one child and the other adult worked one-on-one with a child. I worked on Gi Cho Hyung E Bu (Basic Form #2)with him. He already knew the first half of the form and we continued practicing that half. There was a lot to work on. I worked on him squaring his shoulders and deeper front stances. He picked up the corrections quickly and was trying very hard. (Wasn't I lucky?) He did tell me I did Choon Bee differently than anyone else. Uh oh.
(That's the scary thing; if you screw up the kids will be very happy to point it out and the red belts kids will eat you alive. I probably won't work with red belt kids until I'm at least an Il Gup. I'd prefer black belt, like second dan, lol.)
The next group were yellow belts and we did block/kick combinations. Then we did one-on-one kicking. I kihaped with every kick and was able to get each kid (all four) that I worked with to kihap when they kicked also. Not much correction needed. The kids are good!
The third group were orange belts and we worked on bounce-kick drills as well as the back kick. Not too much correction here except to have a child switch his/her feet to the correct position.
Master L told me I did an excellent job of teaching. That made me feel great because you never really know how you are doing.
My red belt buddy told me that as the instructors note my confidence they will probably give me my own group to work with. I am not ready for that yet...I don't think. I suppose I'd do alright; it's just a scary notion.
I was sure to smile and encourage the kids. I gave them hi-5's and told them they did great (they did).
Oh, there was plenty to correct as we were warming up, too. Kids have a tendency to goof off during warmups. When doing splits they might be on their knees. During clock-kicking, they get sloppy with their fighting stance, stop bouncing, etc.
Here is what I learned:
Teaching is a lot easier than I thought it would be. There is so much to correct.
The kids respond to enthusiasm. When I kihaped (loudly), they kihapped back.
The kids need and enjoy the encouragement.
The kids learn quickly. There are some with autism and learning disabilities. They learn with encouragement and often need a little more repetition.
Some kid's personalities are more quiet and they may seem like they don't want to be there. Maybe parents are forcing them. Maybe they are tired. Maybe they are just reserved. Or they might need more confidence. Give them the same amount of encouragement you are giving the other children.
Try to make the class as fun as possible for the children. You do this by smiling and enjoying the class yourself. Kids pick up on your attitude.
The kids are watching everything you do and say. Be sure to do exactly as the lead instructor says to do. I noted that the red belt children get lax and don't Choon Bee, etc., when the instructor tells the group to do so! The children are also cueing off of you, not just observing your personality.
For heaven's sake, be confident and remember you are the one in control. Give the children respect and demand respect.
Be sure to bow to the children outside of the training area when you see them. Yes, they are supposed to bow first (to their seniors) but won't until they see that, yes, we really do bow to one another. By bowing to them and making eye contact, you force them to bow back, observing proper etiquette. This is just as true for teenagers and adults...
....
We have required SWAT (Students Working as Teachers) meetings every month for red belts. They can be fairly intense classes. We work on our conditioning by doing squat thrusts, etc., plus we review the Pyung Ahn forms (can't teach 'em if you stink at 'em). Then, we address problems that have come up or how to overcome problems, aka, the kid picking his nose and twirling around (honestly - how do you deal with that? It's important to know how to deal with such things.)
If you want to offer any tips about anything, please go ahead. There are probably tons of tips I could use.
My daughter had given me lots of tips and informed me of protocol, so by the time I entered the dojang I was ready and much more calm.
I was assigned to work with Master L (we have four masters in addition to our Sa Ba Nim). There was another red belt adult and one red belt child assisting Master L's group. Our first group were white belts. Master L asked me to work one-on-one with one child and the other adult worked one-on-one with a child. I worked on Gi Cho Hyung E Bu (Basic Form #2)with him. He already knew the first half of the form and we continued practicing that half. There was a lot to work on. I worked on him squaring his shoulders and deeper front stances. He picked up the corrections quickly and was trying very hard. (Wasn't I lucky?) He did tell me I did Choon Bee differently than anyone else. Uh oh.
(That's the scary thing; if you screw up the kids will be very happy to point it out and the red belts kids will eat you alive. I probably won't work with red belt kids until I'm at least an Il Gup. I'd prefer black belt, like second dan, lol.)The next group were yellow belts and we did block/kick combinations. Then we did one-on-one kicking. I kihaped with every kick and was able to get each kid (all four) that I worked with to kihap when they kicked also. Not much correction needed. The kids are good!
The third group were orange belts and we worked on bounce-kick drills as well as the back kick. Not too much correction here except to have a child switch his/her feet to the correct position.
Master L told me I did an excellent job of teaching. That made me feel great because you never really know how you are doing.
My red belt buddy told me that as the instructors note my confidence they will probably give me my own group to work with. I am not ready for that yet...I don't think. I suppose I'd do alright; it's just a scary notion.
I was sure to smile and encourage the kids. I gave them hi-5's and told them they did great (they did).
Oh, there was plenty to correct as we were warming up, too. Kids have a tendency to goof off during warmups. When doing splits they might be on their knees. During clock-kicking, they get sloppy with their fighting stance, stop bouncing, etc.
Here is what I learned:
Teaching is a lot easier than I thought it would be. There is so much to correct.
The kids respond to enthusiasm. When I kihaped (loudly), they kihapped back.
The kids need and enjoy the encouragement.
The kids learn quickly. There are some with autism and learning disabilities. They learn with encouragement and often need a little more repetition.
Some kid's personalities are more quiet and they may seem like they don't want to be there. Maybe parents are forcing them. Maybe they are tired. Maybe they are just reserved. Or they might need more confidence. Give them the same amount of encouragement you are giving the other children.
Try to make the class as fun as possible for the children. You do this by smiling and enjoying the class yourself. Kids pick up on your attitude.
The kids are watching everything you do and say. Be sure to do exactly as the lead instructor says to do. I noted that the red belt children get lax and don't Choon Bee, etc., when the instructor tells the group to do so! The children are also cueing off of you, not just observing your personality.
For heaven's sake, be confident and remember you are the one in control. Give the children respect and demand respect.
Be sure to bow to the children outside of the training area when you see them. Yes, they are supposed to bow first (to their seniors) but won't until they see that, yes, we really do bow to one another. By bowing to them and making eye contact, you force them to bow back, observing proper etiquette. This is just as true for teenagers and adults...
....
We have required SWAT (Students Working as Teachers) meetings every month for red belts. They can be fairly intense classes. We work on our conditioning by doing squat thrusts, etc., plus we review the Pyung Ahn forms (can't teach 'em if you stink at 'em). Then, we address problems that have come up or how to overcome problems, aka, the kid picking his nose and twirling around (honestly - how do you deal with that? It's important to know how to deal with such things.)
If you want to offer any tips about anything, please go ahead. There are probably tons of tips I could use.
