what makes a sensei

[kingkong89]

qeustion

when you recieve your black belt from then on you are considered sensei, but i've seen many instructors refere to their older students that help as senseis but only brown or red belts are ther ranks, so im asking who is considered a sensei

 

[Darth F.Takeda]

Well in those Dojo's that is the practice, and it is appropriate as those higher Kyu's are helping to teach.

In our Ryu and Kai, you have to be a Shodan/Oku Iri for the title, and we dont address anyone higer than 1st Dan as other than Sensei, even if they are Shihan, or whatever. Takeda was called Sensei, than that's good enough for us.

Different Ryus, different rules.

 

[Sukerkin]

Just because you have obtained a black belt does not necessarily entitle you to the honourific of sensei. I have two and am not one .

I have been called 'sensei' on occaision when I have been instructing but it is not a title I woud claim for myself.

Altho' sensei is used in the sense of 'teacher' it does not intrinsically follow that all who teach are sensei. It's not an easy issue to try an clarify, especially if you have people in your ranks who are sensei elsewhere .

The simplest yardstick is that the person is the 'senior' grade in the school at which they teach. So even if they are only a yellow belt passing on instruction to ungraded people then they technically are 'sensei'. Conversely, the third or fourth dan who is the senior student of a sensei is not called sensei (tho' they may be addressed as 'sempai').

Hopefully that sheds a smidgen of light through the murk .

 

[stickarts]

For us, ranking does not automatically also come with a title as an instructor. Various levels of instructor may be reached but they are not directly attached to rank.

 

[Makalakumu]

Hopefully, some knowledge of education and development and an ability to construct a sound curriculum.

 

[Kacey]

Sensei = instructor. Instructor is a position, not a rank... at least, not the way I understand it. Plenty of senior ranks are not instructors, and not all instructors are senior ranks.

Sometimes different classes/organizations use terminology in different ways; I would suggest you speak to your instructor or another senior in your class to determine how sensei is being used in your particular circumstances.

 

[Drac]

Just because you have obtained a black belt does not necessarily entitle you to the honourific of sensei. I have two and am not one .

I have been called 'sensei' on occaision when I have been instructing but it is not a title I woud claim for myself.

Sensei = instructor. Instructor is a position, not a rank... at least, not the way I understand it. Plenty of senior ranks are not instructors, and not all instructors are senior ranks.

Great posts both of you...I am an instructor as reconized by the State of Ohio and a couple of organizations...I have been called Sensei by a few of the police cadets who have had MA training and by the other officer that I teach the in-house class with..He's been in the MA a hell of a lot longer than I have and has been teaching much longer...So I am not about to argue with him...I accept the title..

 

[jks9199]

Great posts both of you...I am an instructor as reconized by the State of Ohio and a couple of organizations...I have been called Sensei by a few of the police cadets who have had MA training and by the other officer that I teach the in-house class with..He's been in the MA a hell of a lot longer than I have and has been teaching much longer...So I am not about to argue with him...I accept the title..

Which brings up an excellent point...

Everything I've read about Japanese language and culture says that sensei isn't a title you take on yourself... It's something others call you.

I suppose, officially, I'm entitled to the title "saya" or "master." After all, I teach, I've had people that I did a lot of the teaching for get black belts... I don't know... I don't worry about it. I've got plenty left to learn. My students tend to call me Jim...

 

[kingkong89]

well i was just wondering

i posted a thread a while back about ''being senseis favorte, and the one i was talking about in my thread is the one in qeustion here. we were at class a few days ago and talking, a yougn new student came up to ask a question for him, when the student adressed him by his name he stopped them and said to adress him as sensei, so that is why i posted this thread

 

[Drac]

I suppose, officially, I'm entitled to the title "saya" or "master." After all, I teach, I've had people that I did a lot of the teaching for get black belts... I don't know... I don't worry about it. I've got plenty left to learn. My students tend to call me Jim...

Well said Jim...The academy I taught at was big on titles, the students are told to address each Instructor as Sir..I HATE being addressed as Sir, I prefer Dan..

 

[Grenadier]

Translated, a sensei is someone who has gone before, although who exactly "deserves" to have that title, is going to vary from one system to another.

I've seen some systems automatically grant that title to someone once they hit shodan, but I've also seen other systems only grant that title to someone who actually runs a school.

In our system, "sensei" is reserved for the more senior instructors who are in charge of running classes on a consistent basis, and have proven themselves over the years.

Those who want to become instructors have to pass the sempai examination, and demonstrate that they can effectively teach someone one on one, on a regular basis. Eventually, those sempai who show enough initiative, are given a chance to teach classes on a regular basis.

Once they do this, and then meet a minimum rank requirement, then they are eligible to become sensei, based on the chief instructor's evaluation.


Regardless of the system, though, it never really hurts to call a fellow instructor "sensei" when you meet them. After all, if you are an instructor, then you do fit the meaning of "one who has gone before," and even if you have a title of shihan, renshi, kyoshi, hanshi, etc., you are still sensei to the other sensei as well, so the title is still valid.

 

[Drac]

I accept the title of Sensei if only keep the other officers I teach with from calling me an "MA expert"...I am NO flipping expert and have never claimed to be..In their( the officers) rational because I know more about MA than them I'm an expert..

 

[jks9199]

Well said Jim...The academy I taught at was big on titles, the students are told to address each Instructor as Sir..I HATE being addressed as Sir, I prefer Dan..

In the academy, there're reasons for the formal structure. I may call my lieutenant by his first name in the office, or when it's just us... but if I'm dealing with the public, it's LT. And other cops are "OFFICER" not "Bill" or "Kenny"... It's about professionalism. Same thing applies to other martial arts teachers in formal environments. If I'm not sure of your practices, "Master" or some equivalent is always safe and courteous.

And, in a class with a lot of kids, titles can be important to keep them reminded of discipline.

But with adults... Nope. Not how I was taught, not how I teach.

 

[Drac]

In the academy, there're reasons for the formal structure. I may call my lieutenant by his first name in the office, or when it's just us... but if I'm dealing with the public, it's LT. And other cops are "OFFICER" not "Bill" or "Kenny"... It's about professionalism. Same thing applies to other martial arts teachers in formal environments. If I'm not sure of your practices, "Master" or some equivalent is always safe and courteous.

And, in a class with a lot of kids, titles can be important to keep them reminded of discipline.

But with adults... Nope. Not how I was taught, not how I teach.

I should stress that this is the "Open Enrollment" academy..Anyone that can pony up the bucks can attend..A lot more relaxed that the formal academy where higher up are ALWAYS addressed as Sgt, Lt etc..etc..and In that type of enviorment all Instructors and I would be addrerssed as Sir...

 

[jks9199]

I should stress that this is the "Open Enrollment" academy..Anyone that can pony up the bucks can attend..A lot more relaxed that the formal academy where higher up are ALWAYS addressed as Sgt, Lt etc..etc..and In that type of enviorment all Instructors and I would be addrerssed as Sir...

Those are just something that boggle my mind... All the academies that I'm personally familiar with require you to be sponsored by an agency. Generally, that means that you're hired and paid to be there. A few sheriff's agencies around here will sponsor qualified candidates who pay their own way so that they can be reserves with full authority, and I think there's a couple of academies that will accept qualified candidates.

But, to roll back on topic...

I have problems with people who seek titles like "sensei" or "sifu" or even "teacher" for themselves, rather than let the title find them because they're doing it. It's like a rookie; for the first few months (or longer), they NEED to be addressed as officer a lot -- but then, one day, they turn around, catch a glimpse of a cop in a window... and realize it's their own reflection.

I didn't seek to be an instructor; I was assigned to help other students, and eventually to coach a few preparing for black belt. Gradually, more and more of the regular training fell on my shoulders, or on my partner's. One day, my partner and I turned around, and realized that it'd been months since our teacher had been in class, and that all the students were OUR students...

 

[Last Fearner]

"what makes a sensei"

What makes an apple an apple, or an orange an orange?

who is considered a sensei

a person is "considered" a sensei by those who are learning from them, as well as by those who are teaching them to teach others.

when you recieve your black belt from then on you are considered sensei

I agree with the others here. Rank is about what you have learned. Teaching is about sharing that knowledge with others. They are two separate issues that are intertwined. One must learn before one can teach, yet having learned a skill does not automatically qualify you to teach. Teaching is a skill in and of itself, therefore one must be specifically trained in instructorship to be sure that they are teaching correctly.

One who graduates from High School with a diploma is not yet qualied to teach even the first grader. On the other hand, many High School students and recent graduates work as "teacher's aides." A teacher teaches, and when you find that you have been teaching.... voila! You are a teacher. Whether or not you are a "good" teacher, or a "qualified" teacher depends on your level of training and skill. Whether or not someone is a "certified" or "authorized" teacher (or sensei) depends upon the authority from which they would seek the knowledge in the first place.

This basically goes back to concept of "one who has gone before." A teacher is one who has thoroughly experienced a subject, and gone before the student, therefore they have the personal experience of how to guide the new student on the path. However, being recognized with the honored title of "sensei" (particularly in the Martial Art) is more than just one who knows something they can teach, thus should not be taken lightly. If one who is already an established and recognized sensei, and has gone before you (is your senior) and calls you a sensei, then the title is bestowed upon you rather than claimed by yourself.

 

[Nomad]

In our dojo, Sensei is a title that is conferred to senior black belts, generally requiring at least 3rd Dan and 15+ years of teaching experience.

 

[Brother John]

qeustion

when you recieve your black belt from then on you are considered sensei, but i've seen many instructors refere to their older students that help as senseis but only brown or red belts are ther ranks, so im asking who is considered a sensei

A Black Belt (Shodan) is not a sensei.
Not every black belt instructs. That would be sort of like saying that every person who gets a college degree is a professor.

I started 'teaching' well before my black belt. It was part of what my own instructor thought would benefit my growth the most, so he had me do it.
I'm glad he did.

The word "Sensei" is a conjunctive word: Sen = before or prior, sei = a man (basically, anyone with a decent grasp of Japanese could probably correct the heck out of me...but it's basically right) so the term means a 'man who's come before'....essentially someone who knows the path you're taking because they already took it themselves. Someone that can show you the way.
Many help 'show the way' long before black belt.

Your Brother
John

 

[whitetiger2001]

The school I taught in used first names for instructors under 5th dan, after that the title of master was used in conjuction with the last name. It was admittedly an informal structure but it was a more family oriented school.
But to answer the question, I believe that sensei is a title that is earned by teaching and not one that you give yourself because of rank.

 

[Balrog]

In the ATA, there is a specific instructor development program where you earn the title of certified instructor.

But in reality, an instructor is someone who teaches. If I have a trainee running a class, the class will bow in and out to that person, even if I am present on the floor, and they will say "Sahbumnim, kahmsihamnidah" to that person at the end of class ("Teacher, thank you" for those who don't know Korean).