More than Just a Teacher

When we put on our black sash/belt for the first time, we should remember that we are more than just a teacher. As the younger students begins learning, they also begin taking note of our actions as well. To some we will be only a teacher, to others we may become more of a role model or mentor. Which means they will see you in a whole different light, because they will want to be more like you. Do the things you do, act like you, or even mimic the things you might do. This could be a good thing, or it can be a bad thing, depending on the character of the teacher. We not only teach them a martial art and how to defend themselves, so that they will gain confidence in their ability, we also teach them how to be one of good integrity and morals. This means you also become a person of influence in their lives as well.

So like the old saying goes, “we must practice what we preach”. If we are only of good character and integrity in the school, and not in our personal life as well, then we fail that student and the essence of our art and family. It’s an honor to a teacher and the system they train in, when the student represents his teacher and family so well, that everyone knows who their teacher and/or style is by the way they carry themselves. (The apple don’t fall far from the tree)

You may not want to believe it but there are more eyes on you than you know, when you are not aware of it. Wearing that black sash/belt has more responsibility to it than just saying, I’ve completed all the requirements for it, it carries much more. Now you have to do things on a different level to handle the responsibility that comes with that sash. Carrying yourself in a manor that is respectable, both in and out of the school, because what you represent is not left in the school when you walk out the door, it’s outside the door as well. The student should not only respect the rank, but also respect the person wearing the rank.

Young minds are impressionable minds and what they see in you may make a big impression on them. What we say, what we do, and how we teach will say a lot about the person wearing that black sash/belt. Make sensitivity, caring, and humility apart of your character, because each student will be motivated differently, and we all have to be sensitive to that. With that said, ask yourself which of these qualities am I missing, and how do my students see me.

Am I more than just a teacher?