Class Management

Rank in order of importance - the art, the student, the school. This is a question every black belt is presented with before they are promoted. There are no wrong answers as all three affect each other to such a degree that there is logic supporting just about anything.

Logic or not, there is one answer that is more correct than the others. That answer is:
1) The School

2) The Student

3) The Art

Over my 40+ years of being immersed in the martial arts business, I can confidently share that the majority of martial arts businesses fail. The reason they fail is because they are run by marital artists, not business people. Tell me how it served the art of Kung Fu to have the vast majority of Kung Fu schools fail? How did their failure serve their students? Obviously the school has to be the priority because without the school there are no students. Without the students the art becomes extinct.

To ensure the long term viability of a marital art school, you must ensure you are taking care of all three - the school, the student, and the art. Because of how they are entwined, you cannot ignore any one of the three. However, you must prioritize what must be prioritized. Hence the ranking.

As instructors, we have responsibility to our students. They have to be our priority. That means we develop a relationship with every student and ensure that we are serving them AND we ensure that the student knows that. Taking care of the student goes beyond your direct relationship with the individual student. It must extend to CLASS MANAGEMENT.

Class management is how we organize the group and how we nurture standards of behaviour and rate of progression. Class management takes care of the majority, not the entirety. Therefore the instructors not leading the class must pay attention and take care of the struggling students so that the leader can focus on keeping the class moving forward for the majority.  Every time the class leader has to stop the flow of the class to address a question or a problem, the entire class shuts down at the same time. Strong class management ensures a positive flow and outcome for the majority of our students.

School management is different from class management and it is the highest priority - always. School management falls onto the Master Instructors. The Master Instructors, especially the Chief Instructor prioritizes school management and modulates their efforts and strategies based upon the evolving needs of the school. There are going to be a lot decisions made for the sake of school management that may require a compromise to our preferred approach to class management. Regardless, school management must take priority so our approach to class management must always respect the decisions and strategies of the chief instructor when it comes to class priorities, class behaviour, instructor strategies, school curriculum, class rotation, student hierarchy, and syllabus development and implementation.

Understanding why we do things in a certain way or why we set our priorities the way we set them makes complying more effortless. However understanding and agreeing, while important, are not necessary - compliance and absolute support is.  That is what it means to be part of a team and that is what it means to be a leader.

Jeff Brinker

Annual Events

To maximize engagement and overall student retention, it is important to spread out our extra-curricular events throughout the calendar year. Moving forwards we will be scheduling our events as follows:

January/February - Chinese New Year Banquet *

January - Black Belt Presentations/Ceremony

March - Syllabus Review/Revision

April - Forms Bootcamp

May - Tiger Challenge *

June - Farmers Day Parade/Demo

July - Canada Day Demo

August - Back to School Week/Kwoon Renovations

September - Potato Bake

October - Breakathon *

November - Syllabus Review/Revision

December - Silent Auction

*Indicates viewable opportunity for Children’s Class parents.

The bi-annual Syllabus Review/Revision will give us the opportunity to address any syllabus improvement opportunities twice a year.  This will ensure consistent collaboration and engagement for all instructors. It will also allow for syllabus stability and a ‘cooling off’ period where we are able to consider changes for a while before we actually decide to implement them. This will ensure less knee-jerk reactions to specific issues happening in specific classes.

Also within this schedule of events will be various Sil Lum Seminar Series events scheduled for Saturdays.

Engagement Over Correction

The success of any student does not rely on their natural skill or ability to apply a lesson. These things can be learned and developed over time. The primary factor is their engagement in their classes and in their success in Kung Fu.

As instructors, this has to be our mandate. Engage, don’t correct. Corrections are critical for the progress of their skill, however they are worthless and inefficient if the student is not engaged. Without engagement, they will not hear their instructors and will not feel compelled to apply the knowledge they are given. Corrections are meaningless in this situation.

Our number one job, and the number one thing on our minds each and every time we step on the mats as an instructor, is to connect with each student. Engage them, encourage them, make them feel safe and happy to be there. They need to know that their presence makes us happy, that we want them there. If we can do this for each student, child or adult, they will become receptive to our lessons.

Corrections should be a byproduct of this engagement. They should be given in the spirit of encouragement, we want them to be the best version of themselves they can be, NOT that they can do better. If what we are thinking is that they should be or need to be better, then we will portray the feeling that they are not good enough. That feeling is a potential cancer to anyone.

It doesn’t matter how quickly they progress or what challenges they currently face. Each and every hiccup is potentially a moment that will make them an even greater martial artist, IF we can help them through the slumps. If not, then it will spell the end of their time in our school. Reprimanding a student for a challenge they are facing is a sure way to push them out the door. Don’t kid yourself, each time a student pushes back or rolls their eyes is a challenge they are moving through. It is our job to help them reach the other side and be better for it.

Curricular Rotation

Starting this month, we are planing to start a curricular rotation for both the kids and adult classes. Part of the reason is to decrease the differences in skill and knowledge between the two.

Although our approach for each class needs to be very different, the skills and development at each level should be the same.

In an effort to determine the validity of our current set rotation, we will be documenting what activities and lessons we give in each class. We need to track and control as many variables as possible in order to determine if the rotation will work in its current state, or if we need to rethink the rotation/approach. The spreadsheet that you will be given access to is where we will be tracking both the rotation and what is covered in each class. It would be ideal if we also wrote out what our intent/approach was for each lesson, our successes and the weaknesses we noted and anything that would help us sharpen our skills and leave breadcrumbs for the next instructor.

Although we need to merge the classes, we still need to approach each class and each lesson with the needs of the students foremost in our minds. This means that we all, as leading instructors, need to plan our classes before we hit the mats, and need to make our plan while taking into consideration what the previous instructors have been teaching, what the students need to progress, and what is next in the rotation. We can’t just come unprepared and pick a lesson based on our strengths or comfort zone; in order for this to work as intended we will all need to innovate and look at the classes as a whole instead of as a single night of lessons.

Something to keep in mind, and I’m sure something we will all need to be reminded of periodically, is that we are teaching a curriculum, a set of concepts and ideals. Not a list of exercises. The syllabus, the document that lists all of the kicks, punches, applications, etc., is only a list of tools we have to help teach the curriculum, and we need to remember to approach it as such. The goal in teaching our students the Six Harmonies is NOT to teach them a long list of forms, but rather to use those forms to increase their awareness and ability to apply the Six Harmonies. Each form is useful to help us in different ways- that is what we need to be thinking of when we are teaching them. What is it about this form that further advances our goal of teaching the Six Harmonies? What concepts are hidden within it?

We are always trying to refine our approach. Hopefully, this rotation will help us ensure the success of all of our students while making the transition between programs or levels easier and more streamline. We have lost students in the past due to the culture shock, and although there always has to be differences between the classes, perhaps we can soften the shock for students as they progress in the system.

Notes on Positivity

I had a conversation with Malinda today (March 10, 2023) and wanted to capture some of what we discussed as I feel we may have put into words/ action something that we have skirted around for years.  This pretty much all pertains to Emily Reich, but will definitely be a positive approach for all of our preschool and Young Dragon students.

1. I feel Emily might not be keeping up and repeating what she is doing because she is slower to process what we are doing (this was my observation during the warmup on Thursday March 09, 2023)

2. We’ve thought she was just being defiant and just does what she likes over and over but Malinda saw something in her expression the other day when she wanted to bow in again, that gave the impression that Emily was puzzled about something. So if she is doing something a second time, we shouldn’t discourage her, however we do need to stay diligent so that it doesn’t get out of hand.

3. Malinda chatted with her briefly about the direction she jumps after the bow and told that her bow looks great, but asked if they could try jumping to face the windows for funzies to see what would happen.  Emily smiled and thought it would be fun.

4. This positive reinforcement will go a long way if we can stay as patient as possible and consistent.

5. Something else that Malinda has tried that works, is to ask Emily to show her how to do something.  “Emily, I need some help, can you show me…”. I think this will also work well for Derrick and other students that seem to be struggling.  It will give them a sense of “I can do this!”, will boost their confidence and should lead to more discipline.

Meeting Minutes - March 4, 2023

Jeff Brinker, Tania Vantuil, Khona Rybak, Kevin Lindstrom, Malinda Ferris, Kody Bjorkquist, Sharida Csillag, Noa Csillag, Shira Csillag.  Absent:  Yitzik Csillag

1. Shadowing: Is where a student can get through a form with help, not just following along.   We need to adjust our expectations here.

2. Expectations:  Our actions need to match our words

1. Set them, communicate them, enforce them.

3.  Management:  We are not just teaching, we are managing - manage students, manage assets, manage class.

4.  Animal Badges:  Can be used to help keep kids motivated while they are earning their stripes.

1.  Talk to parents - these teach hard work

2.  We need to promote these more

3.  How do we communicate the value?

5.  Drills:  Make a list of drills that will NOT be done unless they are run by a program director.

1. These are drills that we go to once in a while, when our creativity starts to wane.

2. We cannot keep going to the same drills, as they lose their efficacy

6.  Finishing Classes on Time: it’s imperative that we end classes on time

1.  When we end classes has an effect on when the next class can start, and the upcoming class MUST start on time as we cannot have students waiting and wondering what is going on.

7.  Audit the Members Only section:  Make sure that members only have access to what they should

1.  We need to make sure that students are only seeing the information that pertains to them.

8.  Student Ratings:  A, B, or C

1.  Program directors will have these up to date by the end of the month each month so that the data is in almost real time.

2.  Instructors are encouraged to share their thoughts on ratings, as they may see things that the Program Directors may miss.  However, the Program Director has the final decision.

Student Ratings

The student rating field in our database is a powerful retention tool used to track each student’s motivational journey.  Everyone’s Kung Fu journey is unique and every one of us ride a rollercoaster of motivation that sees us go through long periods of at each end of the motivational spectrum. We all can’t be ‘on’ 100% of the time.

Our ranking system is simple, with each student rated on their present state as follows:

• A - self-sufficiently motivated

• B - requires motivation to be reinforced

• C - unmotivated

Our mission as instructors is to prioritize our focus on the C students to turn them into B students. Our second priority is to turn our B students into A students. Our third priority is to ensure our A students remain A students.

This tool is only as useful if it is understood and used consistently. While Sifu Rybak is responsible for ranking all the Young Dragons, 2nd Degree Brown Belts, and Black Belts, Sihing Vantuil is responsible for ranking all the Lil leopards/Tiny Tigers, and Sihing Csillag is responsible for ranking all the Teen/Adults; every instructor should be contributing to the process by being very vocal if they see a student ranking that they do not feel is accurate.  We all have unique, personal relationships with each of our students so we all have personal insights that will be useful for assisting the Program Directors in ensuring the student ratings are accurate.

To ensure the relevance of the student rating information, we need to have confidence that each rating is accurate and current.  To meet this requirement we must set and respect the following policy:

• To build trust in the student rating data, all Program Directors will confirm and update each of their students’ ratings on the last day of each month. This will give us a continuous baseline for reliable minimum accuracy of 30 days.

• The entire instructor team will contribute to the process by ensuring they are vocal and engaged in policing the accuracy of the ratings.

We will further refine our policies as our experience and needs dictate. Those refinements will be discussed in our monthly meetings and this living document will be updated accordingly.

Jeff Brinker

Kids' Classes Dismissal Process

1. Once the class has bowed out, and the students have received hand sanitizer, the dismissal process can begin.

2. Dismissals begin with the students at the back of the class and move towards the front.  Exceptions can be made if there are siblings, who can be dismissed together at the discretion of the Instructor.

3. Children will collect their belongings from the changerooms and then will proceed to the entrance to collect their footwear.

4. Children will then proceed directly to the bench where they will sit and put on their shoes and outerwear.

5. Once they have their shoes and outwear on, they are to remain seated and watch for their parents/guardians out the window.

6. Once all children are in the penalty box area, the entrance door can be unlocked and the next class can begin to enter.

7. Once a child sees their parent/guardian, they are to put up their hand, indicating to the instructor that their parent is present at the exit.

8. The instructor will release children to their parent/guardian and ensure the parent/guardian has them in their custody. 

9. Once all children have been released to their parents, the exit door should be locked.

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General Rules And Guidelines

• Children should only leave the mats at the direction of an instructor.  Any child that attempts to leave without permission will be returned to their spot and will have to wait until an instructor releases them.

• Should the main instructor dismissing children be tied up, other instructors or helpers should step in to keep the dismissal process flowing.

• All children should be released through the penalty box door only.

• No more than 3 children should be collecting their shoes at one time.

• The instructor manning the exit should be dictating the order in which children are released, not the children.

• Siblings should be released together.

• No child should be released unless they are seated and waiting in a respectful manner.

• Any children crowding the exit, or attempting to exit without the direction of the instructor, should be instructed to find a seat on the bench and should not be released until they do so, regardless of whether their parent is at the door.

• Children should not be standing or walking around in the penalty box area during dismissal.

• Children should only be released when it is safe to do so and a parent/guardian is present to take custody. 

• If a child arrived at class on their own and will be leaving in the same manner (ie. walking, bike or roller blades), the instructor should release them when they feel it is safest to do so (ie. parking lot has emptied). 

Meeting Minutes - June 11, 2022

• Stop asking so many questions of the kids, specifically “who knows…”. Often when you ask questions and have one kid answer the rest can’t hear and few of the others are engaged. When you ask “who knows” you won’t get an accurate answer anyways (just run them through the form and you’ll know) plus it comes across as you are not prepared.

• When teaching forms, don’t do more than a single rep with the whole class (specifically level 1’s). It causes frustration for the kids who don’t know the form and are being left behind. Get them to go through it together to determine what groups you should create.

• Don’t explain drills so much. Especially if drills are constantly changing/evolving. You’re losing most of the class. Just get them moving and the rest of the instructors can do the rest. Less yak, more smack.

• No class should end on a downer or negative note. Class structure should be high energy, followed by the meat, finishing with high energy. 

• Gauge your classes mostly based on the back rows, or the kids who are less engaged. Running a class based on the most engaged kids all the time will while leaving behind the others only causes frustration. Too much of a gap, break up the class.

• There should be one person leading the class, the rest are teaching (wandering corrections). If you’re running the class, that should be your main job, all other instructors on deck should be continuously engaging with the kids.

• Teaching is found in the interactions with the students, not in the drills. You have to connect with the kids. Find talk to them, get to know them, encourage them. Encouragement is a much stronger tool than punishment. 

Meeting Minutes - June 11, 2022

• Stop asking so many questions of the kids, specifically “who knows…”. Often when you ask questions and have one kid answer the rest can’t hear and few of the others are engaged. When you ask “who knows” you won’t get an accurate answer anyways (just run them through the form and you’ll know) plus it comes across as you are not prepared.

• When teaching forms, don’t do more than a single rep with the whole class (specifically level 1’s). It causes frustration for the kids who don’t know the form and are being left behind. Get them to go through it together to determine what groups you should create.

• Don’t explain drills so much. Especially if drills are constantly changing/evolving. You’re losing most of the class. Just get them moving and the rest of the instructors can do the rest. Less yak, more smack.

• No class should end on a downer or negative note. Class structure should be high energy, followed by the meat, finishing with high energy. 

• Gauge your classes mostly based on the back rows, or the kids who are less engaged. Running a class based on the most engaged kids all the time will while leaving behind the others only causes frustration. Too much of a gap, break up the class.

• There should be one person leading the class, the rest are teaching (wandering corrections). If you’re running the class, that should be your main job, all other instructors on deck should be continuously engaging with the kids.

• Teaching is found in the interactions with the students, not in the drills. You have to connect with the kids. Find talk to them, get to know them, encourage them. Encouragement is a much stronger tool than punishment. 

1 on 1 Attendance Policy

To reflect the difficulty inherent with having to double enter appointments into Square so we can track student use of One on One opportunities, we are not going to do it. What we will do though is chart by exception. This means we will assume that everyone who books a one on one is attending their one on ones. If they are no show, you need to inform me in real time so that I can record it. I stress real time because best intentions rarely translates to follow through. Also, if I need to generate a report, I do not want to have to poll you all first to ensure the data is correct. I need to be able to count on the data I am mining out as being 100% accurate.

Can you guys please confirm that you agree with and understand this approach? I am good with discussion if someone has an idea that may be better. 

COVID-19 Protocols and Procedures

Sifu Rybak has created our first response to the current COVID-19 pandemic so please familiarize yourself with the protocols below and make sure you ask questions if there is something you do not understand. It is important that we comply 100% with these protocols and keep abreast as the document is updated as the pandemic evolves. Keep in mind that we are behind the eight ball on some of the supplies but as soon as we have them available, they will be on site.

Remember, our risk of contributing to the outbreak is very low as our class numbers are relatively low. Despite the vast majority of us being of low risk of complications from the contracting the virus, it is the more vulnerable people in our community and homes that we should be concerned about. We do not want to increase their risk of exposure so it is important that we follow these Health Canada guidelines.

I need every one of you to read and acknowledge that you have read the protocols by commenting below. 

OBJECTIVE

The protection our our students, our families and ourselves is the first priority. Consistent and routine sanitization of common surfaces and hands. Removal of soiled materials (rags, hand towels, garbage) on a daily basis.

INVENTORY

Items are to be kept in stock at all times.

• Clean Rags

• Clean Hand Towels

• Bleach/Lysol Lysol Wipes/Spray Disinfectant

• Windex

• Toilet Paper

• Kleenex

• Hand Sanitizer

• Hand Soap

• Garbage Bags

PROCEDURES

Personal

• Wash/sanitize hands after each class.

• Immediately wash and sanitize hands after in obvious contact with bodily fluids (snot, blood, saliva).

• Keep a spare uniform on hand in case of obvious contamination (eg. snotty kids).

• Arrive to classes in street clothes and change into uniforms on site.

• Change back into street clothes before leaving the building.

• Launder worn uniforms after each shift.
  

Training Area

• Mats will be disinfected (mopped) at the end of each night.

• Mats will be vacuumed and power scrubbed once a week.

• All water bottles are to be kept at the rear of the training area (not along the sides). 

  • This area of the mats will be disinfected with Lysol/spray disinfectant after every class.
    

Common Surfaces

• All common surfaces to be sanitized prior to start of classes, at the end of each day and, when possible, between classes. These include: 

  • All door handles 

  • Front desk 

  • Pony wall 

  • Parent benches 

  • Entrance window frame 

  • Boot racks
    

Washrooms

• All instructors must wash their hands after using the washroom. 

• Single use hand towels will be provided and are to be placed in the provided baskets for laundering. 

• Spare toilet paper to be kept in the storage room to prevent theft. 

• Showers are closed to all instructors and students.

Post-Classes

• Sanitization of all sinks, counters, toilets and other common surfaces (as listed above) will occur before instructors leave for the day. 

• Empty all garbages.

Laundering

• All dirtied rags and hand towels are to be laundered using bleach and hot water. 

• Kwoon materials are not to be washed with personal items. 

Meeting Minutes - February 18, 2020

New, unified syllabus (same for both kids and adults)

7 stripes, 7 core concepts

Yellow- Vocabulary of Motion (how you move, flow)     

White- 6 Harmonies (forms) Red- Keystone Principles (have to become progressively better)

Green- Lifestyle & Leadership (if your lifestyle doesn’t support your Kung Fu, you won’t pass your grading, core values, leadership) 

Blue- Traditional Tenets (2000 yrs old, still around for a reason, still relevant) 

Orange- Dynamic Control (even with changing situation, exemplified with ability to handle a weapon)

 Black- Wuxin (no mind, how you should be able to apply your Kung Fu in real time; no         syllabus, last to be earned)

• If asked, the answer needs to be specific to each student. What they do7 to earn it or what they need to work on. Specific with weapon forms or hand forms. As specific or vague as needed with keystone principles, vocabulary of motion, etc.

• The CURRICULUM has never changed. The syllabus has been changed, yes, but adjusted in such a way to make better black belts, to address the weaknesses that have been noted, make the road better for upcoming generations.

• Train to learn the curriculum. Teach to teach the curriculum. The syllabus is just a list of tools. Teach what the class needs, do not just teach to serve a piece of paper.

• Keep each other on the right path. If you see one of us teaching just to stripe or knock it off a list, bring it up. If students are asking “what do I need for x stripe?”, this is a warning that they are working to be striped, not to learn Kung Fu.

• Need to always apply a high level of control and a high level of discipline in all the classes (eg. 3 points of contact on the stick). Free sparing needs to be taught and not just done. Control needs to be taught and maintained.

• This is a learning curve. Ask someone who understands if you do not. Do not just regurgitate answers you’ve heard given; understand why that answer was given to that student. Develop your own vocabulary.

• Ego based teaching is the problem (this is not equal to arrogance). For ourselves vs. for the student. Teaching what we know instead of teaching what the student needs. Going into detail and taking away their chance to get the reps in. Even if you have something great to say, consider how it will be received or if it will help.

• We need to have each other backs. We have some problem students; we need to be watching for disrespectful attitudes. It can’t be up to the individual being disrespected to enforce. 

• We need to maintain control and recognize when we’re losing control. In this case, we need a reset.

• Make sure you are visible to all students. Be mindful of the guys in the back in the center.

Meeting Minutes - November 23, 2019

• Trying to win the war not the battle- need to correct at the right time. We do have a problem with discipline but how we crack down is just as important. We tend to jump in when the kids are participating, maybe just a little enthusiastically. 

• Tiny Tigers on November 14, 2019-

• Separate Lindens and Hoffmans & Lars’s in lines. 

• Keep in mind parents- don’t let the problem kids be front and center in front of the parents.

• Make sure we don’t get distracted by the instructions- make sure we notice the kids beside us and not just where we’re looking.

• Be aware of the other instructors- don’t interfere if another instructor is working with a student (successfully). Be aware that we’re blocking the students view and being a distraction if we’re just wandering or standing in the rows. 

• Need to engage. Just holding a target and then walking away is not engaging. 

• Need to understand and follow the spirit of instructions, not the letter. You need an understanding so make sure you do, ask if you don’t- you can make things worse if you don’t understand.

• Less talk- no need to have a conversation with the kids. If you need to explain then it’s a lesson for the group or should be saved for after class, etc. 

• To deal with Booth and others like him- need to be decisive and act accordingly. Stop him, don’t chase him. Decisive and compassionate- this is a safety concern.

• Knudsen- needs a sense of purpose to the sound focus. He’ll be able to handle the repetitive, loud noises if he has a purpose behind it. 

• Example- correcting kids when they scream too long, to high, etc. We encourage them to scream then complain when they do it wrong- they need to understand the why (if you’re busy screaming and you’re punched in the gut it won’t go well for you). 

• Need to be mindful about consistency. If we’re at the front we are all the mirror image. When we count, we count first strike second. Consistent with terminology (switch, sound focus vs. just switch). Everyone from now on- command, sound focus. Command- gets them thinking. Sound focus- gets them reacting. 

• Lao Gar- kids cannot repeat. However the standard is just shadowing therefore we’re okay. We need to keep this in mind when we’re teaching and helping. Usually teach sequence then technique- when teaching to shadow, need to teach technique before sequence (they don’t need the sequence).

• There is no difference between the syllabus for the kids and adults, however there is a difference in requirements. The syllabus is a living document so refinements will be happening as time passes.

•  Make mistakes, explain if you disagree, tell us your logic, what you’re seeing and why you’re doing.

Guiding Principles

The best way to structure and properly build our curriculum starts with deciding what we want our end product to look like. What type of student (black belt) do we want to produce? This is outlined by our Curriculum Ideals. 

Currently, my curricular ideals are not completely defined. While they clearly state what each stripe colour represents, there is not enough guidance provided for developing the intangible internal qualities of the green stripe. 

Similarly, the tangible external qualities of my curricular ideals are not concisely defined. They should be able to be reduced to basic principles that are present in every technique and application. These principles should apply to both offence and defence so that you can weaken your opponent by eliminating one or more of the principles from his vocabulary of motion. Perhaps these are the ‘Eighteen Concepts’ I am always referring to. 

Requirements for belt testing are not the same as the requirements for striping. Striping should be about building up the character of the student and instilling the foundational values that will help them develop into a solid SRKF black belt. Therefore rank testing should be about the keystone principles and six harmonies to ensure the proper style foundational basics are present along with a constant progression of those same foundational basics. 

If we continue with seven stripes (black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, white), two of the stripes (white and red) would contain the physical foundation upon which a skilled black belt is built. These two stripes would constitute the testing portion of the syllabus because these two ideals contain the information that defines how we move and adapt - our style. The other five stripes would represent supporting ideals that are important but not necessarily tested on.

This approach will only work if instructors are holding the line on striping standards. If we clearly define the standard then the standard must be consistently enforced. If an instructor does not understand the standard, the onus is on them to educate themselves by asking questions and suggesting revisions to help refine our standard definitions.

Jeff Brinker

Striping

My goal was to retain the 7 coloured stripes moving forward but I think we may be best served by adding purple and brown to our striping rainbow. This will allow us to retain all the current curricular values, separate fitness into its own category, and give the students extra striping goals. 

Suggested breakdown is as follows:

If we were to retain only 7 stripes, my intent would be to combine the fitness with Keystone Principles again and Applications with Grappling.

All that being said, I still have to resolve my vision of only testing on the important stuff (keystone principles and 6 harmonies). If we have exhaustive striping requirements, the students' focus will be spread pretty thin and they may not spend enough time on the important stuff.

With that in mind, perhaps reducing the stripes is a more appropriate approach. If we go with: 6 Harmonies, Dynamic Control, Fitness, and Keystone Principles, and Leadership and Lifestyle — that would drastically narrow the students' focus. With Leadership and Lifestyle and Fitness being aspects that are developed outside of class time, that will help keep their focus narrowed to forms, weapons, and keystone principles. I would even consider removing weapons from the mix. 

IF we were to remove applications and grappling out of the students' syllabus but leave it in the instructors' syllabus, we would have the ability to keep the students' focus narrowed while keeping the instructors' options open. As long as the instructors are able to connect the dots and see how the applications and grappling help produce the overall product, nothing should get lost in the mix. In this case we will have things that we teach that may cover 100 items but we only test and stripe on 20 of those items.

I need to think on this some more. In the meantime, I would appreciate your input and guidance.

Jeff Brinker

Engaging Students Idea

I just wanted to share something that I saw during last Thursday’s Tiny Tiger class.  If you recall, the class was doing a basic relay with the focus on the downward foot block and the kids hitting a paddle.  The kids were also doing splats on the big shields.

The row that Sifu Brinker had seemed to be having the most fun and I attribute that to the way he was utilizing the paddle.  Every time the kids did a splat on the shield, he hit the floor with his paddle making a loud slap.  The kids loved it!  

I would like to see us all (myself included) engage the students more as Sifu Brinker did.  When we are more engaged with the drills, the kids get a lot more out of the lessons.

Thanks!

Tania Vantuil

Meeting Minutes - January 8, 2019

Paige Hall- December 2017

    Two stripes in the system, four on her belt. Parents are extremely engaged. Paige’s lack of effort and engagement falls onto us. She is motivated, likes more than she dislikes. According to her mom Paige becomes more accountable when she knows her mom is watching. Experiences from instructors differ. Regardless, we do not have the results. Keep an eye on her; we need to know if we have what it takes to motivate her. 

    Apparently she does not know what she needs to do to get striped or why she isn’t getting striped (as per her mom). 

    Passports worked great for her- little goals and direction.

2. We need to reverse engineer why the stripes are off & double check when we enter information. Check in workouts & skills on the overview page (shows only for current belt). Striping to be left to Khona for the foreseeable future. 

3. Passports on line may become a possibility (through zen). Sifu Brinker wants any suggestions we have regarding this.

4. Progressive syllabus requirements. Any progress? Don’t hesitate to speak up if you are not interested in participating. High priority.

5. Need to stress- need more doers (healthy guys). Many of us cannot demonstrate some of this stuff but students still need to see it and have that motivation. If you’re good at something, show it off. If you’re not, don’t.

6. Banquet- as of next year our venue is changing. Holy Trinity Church already booked this year. 1/3 the price, includes dishes & sound system. Problem is Saturday Mass at 5-6pm (right during lion dance). Possibility of moving starting time half an hour. If you have any concerns please speak up. Booked for January 25, 2020.

7. Need to line up 6 in a row in BBD. Desbiens was not only in the change room but was being blocked by us while we were helping the new guys.

8. Aubriella Balan-Waege- we need to talk to her parents (need void cheque). 

9. Depending on Claire the ABD will be getting shut down. Ryder (maybe), Carter Hanson & Blakely Whitehouse-Strong will be moving out after the next grading.

10. Teaching shoulder rolls- kid to go over shoulder opposite you, grab their head & pull it to the opposite shoulder, throw their legs over. Kids don’t have a chance not to do it. Demo’d by Sifu Brinker. 

11. New TT. Idol is Bruce Lee. Make it work.

Meeting Minutes - December 4, 2018

• Banquet- looking for ideas to better promote the Pandamonium & increase parent engagement

• Pandamonium- considering making it part of farmers days. The fundraising should be occurring throughout the year as part of the intelligent curriculum.

• Water bottles, AofK, etc- Why? NOT because we're tree hugging environmentalists. Everyone understands that plastic is bad, but not everyone knows recycling is not universal and nota solution. Change starts with you; what can you do? Responsibility & empowerment. These are the best tools at our disposal to teach empathy and compassion. Students want to reuse a disposable water bottle? No- poor leadership. No one else knows its full of tap water & all it does is send the wrong message & undermine our ability to teach the other kids.

• Think about the lion dance, altar, items on the walls; everything has a purpose.

• Don't expect a child to transfer information, notices or concepts to their parents. Talk to the parents directly. 

• Assume children that are acting out, not listening, etc. have some sort of mental limitation. Hands off kids you don't know unless there is a safety issue; physical contact can become a trigger. Students that leave for a duration eg. Cohen Johnson need to be eased back into where they were.

• Avoidance as a strategy with anxiety is common. If you allow a student to avoid the situation you are reaffirming avoidance as a strategy and you are doing the individual a disservice. 

• Animal badges- must be on every uniform. Yitzik to send Khona the spreadsheet from the Tiger Challenge so an animal team winner can be determined. 

Please feel free to fill in the gaps.

Instructor Engagement