Qualities of your worst teacher?

[foggymorning162]

buggirl2 started a great thread about the qualities of your best teacher. I think a lot of teachers can learn about what holds students by reading this, but I also think they can learn from what others have done wrong.

The worst MA teachers I've had are those who make it all about themselves they talk entirely too much and or refuse to come into the present. Also teachers who do the same drill for an entire class I know MA are repedative but the same kick up and down the floor for an entire hour is overkill.

 

[theletch1]

I gave the answer to this question if Girlbug's thread but I'll toss it in here as well.

EGO!!! The instructors that think they are better human beings than I am simply because they have a skill that I don't.

 

[JBrainard]

When I first started martial arts I joined a bastardized Wing Chun belt factory. Hey, I was a newb, what did I know?
Anyway, my instructor was great (probably because he had a black belt in another, legitimate, martial art), but the head of the school was terrible. When you belt tested you tested in front of her, not your instructor. I swear, I could have danced a jig and got a belt from her. Just terrible.

 

[clfsean]

Arrogance... down the nose attitude (didn't help he was 6'4")... God complex... only stayed about 3 months I think

 

[phlaw]

Extreme Cockiness! I think all he cared about was tournaments and winning. He use to have students spar with no protective gear. If you didn't go to tournaments he did not care about you.

 

[IcemanSK]

Liars. Misrepresented rank in one Art & never trained in another in which he claimed a 6th Dan!

 

[arnisador]

Never see him working out--he just talks.

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

The worse teachers I have met usually would scream at me.

Or would not explain the technique.

I have had teachers I was going to meet yell at me over the phone because I could not find their school.

I have seen teachers smack the back of their child students for not doing a correct stance.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Arrogance

 

[kailat]

Well, the thing many have to undertand about Martial Arts teachers are "WE ARE JUST PEOPLE TOO" many of us work normal jobs and teach on the side because we enjoy it. Many of us, enjoy going out and having a beer just like the other guy.

Many of us have relationship problems too.. So if some of that carries over in class, its not suppossed to but it does happen im sure. many of us know how to check ego's and seperate personal business from MARTIAL ARTS Business.

Anyway, i've been fortunate to be surrounded and have studied under the best teachers. I've become really close w/ many of them and spend alot of time as friends in and outside the training hall.

I've found that my teachers were people just like I was saying. One of my TKD teachers enjoyed to PARTY!!! I mean really PARTY!! He enjoyed getting high and drinking pretty heavily. I didn't like it, but i did't judge him either. HE was a tremendous martial artist and very gifted. His school has sent many to the championship levels.

My Karate sensei was a factory worker and he used to scream, yell, and actually physically be rough on us when we messed up. Was it fair? NO!! My dad thought it was the greatest thing.. He used to encourage our Sensei to straighten me out because he couldn't do it. LOL.. so although I didn't like it, It really made me a stronger person.. I grew to miss him greatly when he left teaching tomove w/ his job.

My Kali Guro was very rough. He enjoyed inflicting pain and speaking profanity. He was and is def a serious practicioner of the arts. He don't hesitate to drop you in your stance if he feels your not listening or paying attention.

My Guro still teaches, he may be older in his 70's but he still keeps to his roots. he will still scold you and or kick your butt if you act out. LOVE HIM!!

My other teachers Hanshi of my Karate, is very laid back and extremely kind. He never raised his voice and or ever showed a side of anger in class. He carried himself to be too nice. But in result to this his class was very loose and alot of students didn't pay alot of attention in class. His school has closed because I think he just got tired of teaching..

so how do I teach? I teach much like a mixture of all my teachers. I am relaxed, yet I am very kinda hard headed w/ my students jus ask them. I believe in pain compliance and if they do something wrong or if i say "block this" I try to take thier head off and if they don't stop it, I hit them.. its that simple...

Just today I was doing a strike w/ my student and asked him to counter it and if he didn't stop me I was coming thru him.. boy he thoght I was kidding I guess. I cought him in the nose and bloodied his nose! But thats jus howI teach.. brutal ? I don't think so... if you can't block a strike or counter a strike in training, you aren't gonna do it in the street..

 

[grydth]

Liars. Misrepresented rank in one Art & never trained in another in which he claimed a 6th Dan!

Been there. Fell for it. Got even later. Life goes on.

 

[Josh Oakley]

Well, the thing many have to undertand about Martial Arts teachers are "WE ARE JUST PEOPLE TOO" many of us work normal jobs and teach on the side because we enjoy it. Many of us, enjoy going out and having a beer just like the other guy.

Many of us have relationship problems too.. So if some of that carries over in class, its not suppossed to but it does happen im sure. many of us know how to check ego's and seperate personal business from MARTIAL ARTS Business.

Anyway, i've been fortunate to be surrounded and have studied under the best teachers. I've become really close w/ many of them and spend alot of time as friends in and outside the training hall.

I've found that my teachers were people just like I was saying. One of my TKD teachers enjoyed to PARTY!!! I mean really PARTY!! He enjoyed getting high and drinking pretty heavily. I didn't like it, but i did't judge him either. HE was a tremendous martial artist and very gifted. His school has sent many to the championship levels.

My Karate sensei was a factory worker and he used to scream, yell, and actually physically be rough on us when we messed up. Was it fair? NO!! My dad thought it was the greatest thing.. He used to encourage our Sensei to straighten me out because he couldn't do it. LOL.. so although I didn't like it, It really made me a stronger person.. I grew to miss him greatly when he left teaching tomove w/ his job.

My Kali Guro was very rough. He enjoyed inflicting pain and speaking profanity. He was and is def a serious practicioner of the arts. He don't hesitate to drop you in your stance if he feels your not listening or paying attention.

My Guro still teaches, he may be older in his 70's but he still keeps to his roots. he will still scold you and or kick your butt if you act out. LOVE HIM!!

My other teachers Hanshi of my Karate, is very laid back and extremely kind. He never raised his voice and or ever showed a side of anger in class. He carried himself to be too nice. But in result to this his class was very loose and alot of students didn't pay alot of attention in class. His school has closed because I think he just got tired of teaching..

so how do I teach? I teach much like a mixture of all my teachers. I am relaxed, yet I am very kinda hard headed w/ my students jus ask them. I believe in pain compliance and if they do something wrong or if i say "block this" I try to take thier head off and if they don't stop it, I hit them.. its that simple...

Just today I was doing a strike w/ my student and asked him to counter it and if he didn't stop me I was coming thru him.. boy he thoght I was kidding I guess. I cought him in the nose and bloodied his nose! But thats jus howI teach.. brutal ? I don't think so... if you can't block a strike or counter a strike in training, you aren't gonna do it in the street..

So many people talk about wanting to train old school but balk when it comes to training old school. But hey, they did come to martial arts for a reason. The trick is to find that need and meet that need. I keep growing because I consistently give people what they want withing reason, without lowering my standards.

 

[thetruth]

buggirl2 started a great thread about the qualities of your best teacher. I think a lot of teachers can learn about what holds students by reading this, but I also think they can learn from what others have done wrong.

The worst MA teachers I've had are those who make it all about themselves they talk entirely too much and or refuse to come into the present. Also teachers who do the same drill for an entire class I know MA are repedative but the same kick up and down the floor for an entire hour is overkill.

Well if I was to learn from one of my old instructors I wouldn't sleep with my students, threaten peoples lives, use people for my own means, rip people off, lie about my history, belittle people who question what I say and talk behind peoples backs just for a start.


Cheers
Sam:asian:

 

[still learning]

Hello, I would be nice to see our "TEACHERS" practice what they preach!

than again...do we do the same?

If you can't say nice things? ...best to keep it to yourself?

....see what I mean?

Aloha,

 

[Cirdan]

The combination of incompetence and arrogance is only beaten by intentional bad instruction and lying.

Of course instructors are just people too. It is possible to be a despicable person and a good instructor or a great induvidual who just sucks at teaching.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I have been blessed with absolutely great teacher's. People who were thoughtful, caring and wanted to help others achieve their skill sets. Like anyone else here on this thread though the major turn off is ego. Fortunately I was lucky with all of my instructors. Though, through traveling and taking seminars I have met a number of people with large ego's. That always is a turn off.

 

[Perpetual White Belt]

Well if I was to learn from one of my old instructors I wouldn't sleep with my students, threaten peoples lives, use people for my own means, rip people off, lie about my history, belittle people who question what I say and talk behind peoples backs just for a start.


Cheers
Sam:asian:

Wow that sounds almost exactly like my old instructor!

 

[harlan]

'It's completely irrelevant to me if you ever write this paper, and I don't care if you graduate.'

Words from the worst teacher I ever had. I was into 4 or 5 courses with this guy, my final semester, and had been doing the Honors track in Anthropology and he was my principle teacher. I sat back when I heard those words...it was like a slap in the face, and thought, 'You SHOULD care you piece of academic deadwood! Because someday that chair you are warming with your fat butt is going to be empty...and it might be me or someone like me...that is going to fill it. Depending on who you bring along...but it's obvious you don't even care about that.' With one paper left to finish college...I walked out. His teaching meant nothing to me anymore.

A fundamental disrespect for others, and lack of caring...attributes of the worst teachers I've had.

 

[girlbug2]

In Jr High School my regular art teacher was out sick for one week, and the substitute teacher clearly hated kids and what he was doing. He was also one of those people that made everything about him. Several students got in trouble and were given what I can only call grudge assignments based on asking for help with a perspective drawing we were working on. He somehow took a students' difficulty with the assignment, and even the most innocent questions, as implied criticism about his teaching.

That one week was hell week. A few decades later I remember him and shudder.

 

[Nolerama]

In high school, we could bribe a teacher with White Castle hamburgers (not cheeseburgers, because she was watching her figure.) The administration thought it was kind of cute. Another one kicked me out of Honors English for calling her pet (in debate-ese) an idiot for claiming that dinosaurs thrived in Japan.

I think the pursuit of knowledge should be awe-inspiring to all involved. The teacher should also understand that he/she is a student as well. Those are the best teachers: the ones that are willing to learn and progress.

The worst ones look at teaching like it's just a job.

I took a WC class one time, and the instructors little kid (10 or something) was a black belt in their system... The instructor kept claiming that the kid could kick my butt (I was 20 at the time). I thought it was the silliest thing ever to spend (and pay for) an hour of my time so that this instructor could bestow fake manhood upon his child. Gotta love that ego.