It seems to me now that it was only a short time ago that we began to implement the learning and practice of the World Tang Soo Do Association's 14 Attitude Requirements into our curriculum at Keystone Martial Arts. In looking back though, I realize that we have arrived at Requirements number 5 and 6 at our two respective locations, and that we have been working on this project for nearly half the year. At the outset, my wife and myself had three basic goals in mind when implementing this part of our curriculum:
1. Our students would learn the 14 Attitude Requirements
2. Our students would learn what the 14 Attitude Requirements actually mean.
3. Our students would be held accountable for putting the 14 Attitude Requirements into practice.
This seemed relatively simple in concept, and in truth, I have to say that for the most part, it has been going exactly as planned. We made our students repeat the Requirements until they learned what each one says. We defined the key words included in each Requirement and put these definitions together so that the students understood what each one means. We gave homework assignments keyed specifically toward the meaning of each Requirement that would hold students accountable for putting that meaning into practice. What I did not expect (though in truth I am now not sure why) is that I would learn as much about being an instructor as our students were learning about being students and martial artists.
Some lessons learned are actually fairly obvious. The first of these is that some students (and in some cases I will honestly say some parents) do not want to be held accountable. Some merely wish to show up, kick and punch (easy stuff), and be awarded a new belt. When confronted with the necessity to be held accountable for their actions, these students tend to wither. They simply ignore the homework and do not turn it in. They do not raise their hands when asked questions regarding personal development and personal accountability. In some cases they become argumentative and confrontational when told that they are not moving forward in rank. They begin to compare themselves (non-obejectively) to other students, and often arrive at incorrect conclusions regarding their own progress or status in the class. In the end, many decide to quit. This is not to say that every student who leaves does so because they refuse to be held accountable, or even that this is the main reason why students leave. The sad truth, though, is that in at least half of the cases in which accountability is the cause, the students who quit needed to go.
Every instructor with whom I have ever had a serious conversation regarding student status, enrollment, and retention knows this truth, but we are all too often afraid to confront it. We choose to believe instead that we can "save" every student who is lagging behind, when this simply isn't the case. Some students will choose to be left behind, and some, when given too much attention, will actively lower the standards and performance of the entire class. If students choose not to be accountable for their actions, and choose to wither rather than grow, instructors cannot afford to focus all of their time on these students, allowing this attitude to contaminate the class. We must instead nurture those students who do choose to grow, while allowing others to make a choice: Choose to grow, or choose to leave. The next lesson learned, then, is that many students will choose to grow when held accountable, and the best students will thrive.
I have found that in any group, be it martial artists or not, when a question or problem is posed, the majority of the group will stand back and wait. However, there will always be at least one person in the group who is willing to raise his or her hand. There is always one person willing to take a risk and step up. Historically, I have not been that person. However, I have decided, on more than one occasion, to make that choice, and to be the person who is willing to be heard, and who is willing to "stick my neck out." (If I hadn't, you would never be reading this post.) I have found that, in almost all cases, the results are positive. We must actively encourage this in our students, and show them that this is the way forward. Holding them accountable for their actions is a sure way to make this happen, or to make it fail miserably. As much as I actually believe a good instructor uses both positive AND negative reinforcement effectively, I do believe that we must link accountability to positive outcomes, rather than focus only on the negative. Let us congratulate, praise, and yes, even reward, students who demonstrate accountability, rather than only point out what they are NOT doing. After all, our Attitude Requirements may say "Do not be overly ambitious", but they also remind us to "Frequently inspect your own achievements". They don't tell us to frequently inspect our failures, and perhaps there is some wisdom in that, for only by helping our accountable students realize that they ARE getting somewhere can we hope to see them take the steps they need to move forward.
In the end, it is my goal to see the majority, rather than the minority, of my students become willing to be held accountable, whether the results of doing so are perceived as "good" or "bad". In fact, it is my goal to change that perception, and help them realize that accountability is almost always "good" in the end, even when that end is not instant and immediately known or understood. It is my hope that I will see more students raise their hands, see more students hold themselves and their classmates accountable for appropriate actions and behaviors, and, in the end, see the majority of the class thrive. While there is no room in the dojang for anyone who will not be held accountable, there is more than enough room for everyone who will.
This then is the final lesson I have learned. There really is no room in the dojang for anyone who will not be held accountable, and that must include me. If I want my students and my dojang to grow rather than wither, then I must grow as well, and I must choose not to wither. Recently, I have been plagued by a series of personal injuries, but I must ask myself whether I have done everything I can to work through them, or if I have allowed them to stop me from doing what I must. Equally, I must ask whether what I have been doing is smart, and if my own methods of training and teaching have helped move me forward, or whether they have exacerbated my injuries and delayed my healing and growth. I must be personally accountable, and I must choose to grow. I must be accountable to others as well. As Grandmaster Shin once said,
When examining your abilities as an instructor,
examine your young
student's manners,
attitudes, school reports and health conditions.
Their improvements should mirror your own.
I must realize that if I ask a student to do a thing, then I must be willing and able to do that thing myself, and if I cannot, then there had better be a darn good reason why. If I can't find that reason (not excuse), then it probably doesn't exist, and I had better get cracking on being able to do what I demand of others. After all, they aren't called suggestions...
Kick. Punch. Easy Stuff.
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