Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)
I read today’s post at the Chiron blog (link to the right of this page) where this quote inspired me, it was “actual life and safety depend on the quality of a teacher in certain fields.”
It is a great article and every single person who reads this who teaches self-defense or who is also a karate and martial arts teacher of self-defense should read this and believe what he has to say.
I have written opinions on what a good teacher, instructor and mentor should know of to be a good one and that still applies but it never occurred to me that what I would teach as a karateka and for self-defense was about actual life and safety and quality. It is not just the quality of the traits I have written about to teach but something else that is not really describable in words both written and spoken. I always say there are those who are just natural when it comes to teaching, etc., and some who should stay as far away from it as possible.
When someone decides they want to teach others they really do have to take time to determine if they have all those requisites to make for a good teacher. I have had many teachers in my life and can say with confidence I have had only three that stand out in my mind, who motivated and inspired me to learn and implement that understanding in my life. All the rest, there were many from school to university to professional programs, who were just plain horrible. In those instances I overcame and learned in spite of their inadequacies.
I have to say that for most karate dojo I have seen far too many horrible instructors, if you can actually call them that without heaving, simply because they enjoyed their teacher and then got to wear a black belt. Good teachers, instructors and mentors are really, really hard to come by but are worth the effort to find.
Me, a teacher or instructor or mentor, not so good. Yes, I was a Marine “Instructor” and I adhered to the guidelines governing what, when, where and especially how I applied my trade but it did’t make me or ensure other of my ability to actually teach, to learn and toward understanding. I also taught karate for a lot of years and I had a hand full of students who seemed to enjoy what I taught but since those years, I stopped when I retired a while back teaching in a dojo, etc., I have come to understand that in reality I should not have taught karate but instead put myself under the tutelage of a good sensei to learn and determine if my abilities and traits would make for a good teacher, instructor, mentor and sensei. One very important and critical aspect of teaching is knowledge and understanding because upon reflection the karate I taught was adequate but the self-defense I taught within karate was absolutely wrong, not relevant and not useful in self-defense.
Don’t assume that you have to be a good instructor, etc., to determine if the person who you are looking to for instructions, etc., is a qualified and good instructor. You can understand who and what helps you learn the best including the study traits you develop for yourself. Most of us, if we allow ourselves to accept that spidey sense of instinct, know a good teacher when we encounter one.
I have had to, more often than not, teach myself. I had to delve into subject disciplines to learn and then learn through on the job experiences. I also made use of mentors, folks who worked in the same disciplines who were willing to lead the way. Know this, there are also very, very few who are willing to do this as well. You adapt and you overcome such obstacles but when it comes to fields that involve actual life and safety you really do have to find those types of teachers.
From my studies and understandings self-defense for karateka and martial arts let alone for those who work in professions like police and corrections, etc., it is critical to be that awesome teacher, instructor, mentor and sensei. It is even more critical to have that teaching trait of self-reflection and self-analysis to see if you are actually a good one or one who should step down and allow others more capable to assume the role. Education whether for professions that expose us to grave bodily harm or possible death is a responsibility of the upmost importance to anyone who wished to become a good instructor, teacher and/or mentor - it just is.
In closing, “I Can’t teach THAT,” is true for me regarding self-defense. The depth and breadth of those disciplines, knowledge and the understanding along with the appropriate experiences is way beyond what I have and had learned in my more active days of karate. I don’t regret anything but I do accept my limitations and unless those limitations are removed and a good teacher is willing to tell me either way I am good enough then I will not teach it in the dojo.
The whole purpose of my writing about this is to, hopefully, inspire readers to accept things and go forth to find “All the answers or at least all the possible answers,” to learn karate, martial arts and self-defense” before relying in things for self-defense and way before trying to teach it all.
Just take a look at the bibliography, especially those indicated as important toward self-defense, and visit web sites like Marc MacYoung’s “No Nonsense Self-Defense,” because those references will provide just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Outside of karate, martial arts and self-defense it speaks to how important it is to have really great teachers, in general as to schools and universities, because what we inspire in our young adults to learn will have a profound effect on how they live their lives.
Rory Miller speaks to the importance of teaching and teaching ability. Do you have the qualities of a good teacher?
Bibliography (Click the link)
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