old students /bad reputation/bad information

[tshadowchaser]

What do you who own schools do to offset what exstudents may have to say negitively about you or you school?
For those in smaller communities how do you negate possible lies/misinformation from disgruntled students?
I would prefer not to see violent answers, these are comman knowledge.

 

[Enson]

well i live close to some small towns and growing up in one of them... i would here lots of things about the few schools that are here. when i was young it was the hip think to go to this school called "double dragon kenpo karate" an epak school. then alot of people stopped going and started saying that the instructor's form was bad and he wasn't teaching well.

through the years i never really knew what to believe till i went to see for myself. sad to say he wasn't that good. i would never study there.

so i guess the best thing to do is check it out for yourself before trusting what the masses say.

 

[loki09789]

What do you who own schools do to offset what exstudents may have to say negitively about you or you school?
For those in smaller communities how do you negate possible lies/misinformation from disgruntled students?
I would prefer not to see violent answers, these are comman knowledge.

Well it takes guts and character to really search inside yourself to see if the criticism is accurate. But, if it is true then you probably need to change what you are doing.

Otherwise, there really isn't much you can do except teach and act in a way that proves that negative rep wrong every day you can.

I had a case of a student that really needed to learn respect and cooperation and I had to ask to leave after multiple talks and reminders. He was always training as if he had to 'win' every partner situation (working over training partners instead of with training partners.) - even when both students would get more out of flowing with each other for the sake of the training. He would lip off at times about how 'boring' things were and such. Generally a pain, but I tried to explain my teaching method/philosophy and mission so that maybe he would get where I was coming from and jump on the band wagon.

I have heard some of the commentary that he has made about my instruction and program as it comes back around the loops of common aquantences... All I can do is prove his statements wrong whenever I teach and let who ever has the interest and character to seek me out find out for themselves what is true and what is not.

 

[hardheadjarhead]

Paul pretty much said it all.

One can't ever escape negative criticism. You're going to rub somebody the wrong way, most likely. My wife, who is Miss Tact, has had conflicts with students and parents when she has bent over backwards to accomodate them. Some people are adversarial, and there is little you can do to avoid angering them.

Sometimes the negative experience of the student is founded on their inability to do the art you teach. An older person might not be right for the slamming falls of Judo, and finds he has to quit. Unable to handle this, he maligns the instructor. He can't accept the issue of age...so he takes it out on the instructor. That's just an example. There are a host of other reasons why a student might quit and then attack your reputation...and it might not be your fault.

If you're getting a lot of negative feedback from a number of people, then you most certainly have to ask yourself whether you're the source of the problem.


Regards,


Steve

 

[MichiganTKD]

Most of the time, I brush away negative comments because my students, the ones who count, tell me I do a great job. If someone has legitimate concerns and is not simply disgruntled, I would invite them to a class to judge for themselves. Otherwise my attitude is "well, whatever."

 

[TigerWoman]

If you're getting a lot of negative feedback from a number of people, then you most certainly have to ask yourself whether you're the source of the problem.

A good sign of that is how many black belts do you have supporting you after 20 some years of class. Even with people moving away, etc. there should be a good number left that have stayed for reason. TW

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

Nobody will always get along well, all the time. Martial arts are particualrly odd, because in the midst of practicing how to main people, we also develop relationships with our students...making the "mad about town" thing feel like a bit of a betrayal.

If something went south, and the student had moved on with ire, there is not much to be done if you have already given patching up the distance the old college try.

Sometimes, the best answer is to just busy yourself with living well, and continuing to pursue your own best excellence, while mentally releasing that person from your world...abandon them to their fates, be it fame & fortune or failure. Disconnect, and invest your energies elsewhere.

The truth has the ability to stand on its own; focus on maintaining your own space, and time will bear out the best ending. Many angry people left to their own devices self-destruct. All you have to do is outlast them. Something in the Tao about "endurance is to perservere?"

Dave

 

[terryl965]

Negative comments should be handle like everything else that surround MAer's with dignity and respect for the one that has harmed you and your school. Two wrongs does not make a good decission in life, we will always have somebody upset with us(the true MA) because we will make the student work for there belts and not just give one away...Today people are looking for everything without working for it. remember your positive feedback from your student and post what your parents say good or bad feedback is good from all aspect of life.. I believe you can always find a coomon ground if the other person is willing to find that ground....GOD BLESS AMERICA

 

[tshadowchaser]

These are all good comments.

I would like to say that ONE bad statement can cause much trouble. The person hearing a negitive comment (if they are not a student ((long time or short))) will not know if the statement is true or not and most likely will repeat the comment if the school or instructor is mentiond in a conversation. This multiplys and can become exagerated with retelling. Thusly the shool and instructor can have a bad reputation in town without ever knowing whats going on.
Some people also create dilberate lies or untruths to give themslef a seeming importance or a reason for starting ther own school, for just trying to impress others as to how much they know or to hurt out of some misplaced sence of (he showed you more than me and I'm more important and should have more rank).
Any negitive reputation is bad. Most people belive what they hear and do not take the time to find out the truth of a statement but rather take it as the truth and WILL repeate it as a truth.

 

[tshadowchaser]

Ok I'll start to answere the question and se where it goes from there.


First run you school as a professional. BE positive in your attitue and in the way you encourage your students.
2nd. Put articles in the local papers on the new promotion of your students and their accomplishments
3rd Never speak negitivly about those that speak so of you. You might say there was a diference of opions or you do not discuss inner politics.

you turn