Life Skill Themes
from Sensei Ken Watrous and Sensei Andrew Knebel
Emotions
October 20, 2008
The word of the week is EMOTIONS. How do you generate the enthusiasm that is so critical to success? Many times throughout the day, you will be presented with a choice of how to respond to events that take place around you. It is imperative that you try to live a majority of this time at the top of the emotional scale. You must be aware of how you feel. Start your new process by consciously reaching for a better feeling emotion at every opportunity. You must begin to recognize and start to let go of persistent negative thoughts. Become enthusiastic about your new attitude! Begin to experience larger doses of enthusiasm daily! Get out of the habit of making excuses for your negativity. This will only keep you limited and 'stuck'.
Enthusiasm
October 12, 2008
The word of the week is ENTHUSIASM. Enthusiasm is more important than intelligence, more important than education and more important than circumstance. To understand how this works, stop and think about the voice in your head. The voice you may not be consciously aware of throughout the day. It talks to you continuously, whether you are sitting in traffic, anticipating an upcoming social event or working on a new marketing strategy for your business. Think about what that voice is saying to you. Is it positive, hopeful, confident and enthusiastic? Or are you frustrated, fearful and negative? What kinds of feedback are you giving yourself during the most mundane of tasks?" This week I want you to remind your students (and yourself) to pay attention. Pay attention to the thoughts and the feelings that are playing in your head all day long.
Choice
October 5, 2008
The word of the week is CHOICE. This week we will talk about what to do when you are experiencing negative emotion. The first step to take when you are experiencing negative emotion is to ask yourself the following questions:
- What's this negative thought emotionally creating for me?
- Is it really solving any problem?
- Does this thought honor me, increase my sense of self empowerment, or make me feel better in any way? If not, what new conclusion can I make?
- What kind of energy is this pessimism creating? Do I really want to perpetuate that vibration in my life?
- What kind of results will this resonance produce?
Develop an awareness of your worry patterns. When you find yourself filled with worry, doubt and fear, make a conscious choice to intervene on them. An optimistic attitude produces positive results, perpetuating even more hopeful expectations. No matter what is going on, real optimism - the attitude of hope and positive expectation - puts you in the perfect state of attracting wealth and success.
Thought
September 28, 2008
The word of the week is THOUGHT. We will teach the students that successful people are highly aware of the importance of positive thought. In the book, Quantum Success, optimism is described as a magnetic energy of success. There is a special kind of energy to optimism; a peaceful assurance that no matter what is going on, the world is going to send good things your way. The successful person understands that fear is the absolute deterrent to the energies of solution and success. A positive attitude projects a dynamic and creative awareness that is a magnet for wealth.
Happiness
September 21, 2008
The word of the week is HAPPINESS.
- Do not see yourself as a victim, even under the most difficult circumstances.
- Trust that you are capable to handle anything that comes your way
- Practice being proactive rather than reactive
- Know that the buck stops with you
Happy people avoid blaming in all its incarnations. They don't blame other people, and they don't blame circumstances. They understand that it serves no purpose and it doesn't get them where they truly desire. To create a happy life, you must forge ahead, improving the quality of your life by becoming proactive rather than reactive. As a creator of your own life, you will feel content, capable and in control. You are the master of your own fate!
Effect
September 14, 2008
The word of the week is EFFECT. This week we will talk about "Cause and Effect of Success". "Successful people feel that they are in charge of their own lives and that no one else has power over them. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best, 'Shallow men believe in luck, believe in circumstance. Strong men believe in cause and effect.' They honor their right to create a life for themselves that is rewarding, rich and exuberant. They understand that no matter what life presents, they have the ability to move ahead - to do something good for themselves, to make a difference, to have an effect."
Accountability
September 7, 2008
The word of the week is ACCOUNTABILITY. Here we will talk about what Sensei calls the "Blame Game". According to Sensei Holeman: "Unsuccessful people are masters of the blame game. They blame the economy, the government, their location, the stock market, their boss, teachers, their spouse, friends, their parents - and even God. The biggest problem with blaming others for what went wrong in life is that the focus is on what went wrong - rather than going beyond what happened to discover why it happened. Unsuccessful people spend a lifetime perfecting their defenses when they could be spending their time finding solutions." Our goal this week is to help our students to succeed by letting them know that they have the power to make good things happen. When bad things happen, which they sometimes will, students need to know that they have the power to right them. We need our students to take the position of authority and relinquish the notion that they are victims in life. We are in charge of our good news!
Action
August 24, 2008
The word of the week is ACTION. What I mean by this is to take action. We need to educate our students in the "secret of success": Do something every day to get closer to your goal. No matter what your destination may be, you need to get moving in that direction. There are times that you will make a wrong turn on the road of life... that is OK. A wrong turn is better than sitting by and watching your life unfold in front of you as if you are merely a passenger. Grab the wheel with both hands and take control!
Success
August 17, 2008
The word of the week is SUCCESS. There are many things that come to mind when you discuss success. Our goal this week is to help our students to develop their own definition of success. We want them to understand that they need to be achieving this mark in their own eyes to be happy. They also need to understand that there is a societal watermark for success depending upon the arena in which they may be competing. The two definitions may not be congruent. In the end, they must decide which one is more important. If they have higher expectations of themselves they will more often than not be successful in both venues.
Control
August 10, 2008
The word of the week is CONTROL. There are many things that are beyond our control... the driver that just cut us off, the gold medal count in the Olympics, the weather, etc. But we do have the power to control our reaction to those events. The most important thing within our control is our mind. We have the power between our ears to make our world what we choose. Make a conscious choice toward a positive attitude and positive actions. We control our thoughts. Take charge!
Fun
August 5, 2008
The word of the week is FUN! Let's face it... life is serious business. We need to work hard at everything we do to get the most out of our lives. That includes having fun. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but you really need to work at having fun. Mark it in your calendar if you have to... but make sure you have fun in your life every day. You know the old saying, "All work and no play..."
Safe
July 27, 2008
The word of the week is SAFE. We live in a time of a lot of threats... we don't need to dwell on them but we need to be aware of them. One of our roles as instructors is to make sure that our students are practicing self defense in all aspects of their lives. They need to be defending themselves against verbal, physical, and emotional attacks. They need to protect themselves globally and not just against a punch to the nose.
Strong
July 20, 2008
The word of the week is STRONG. We want all of our students to be physically fit. We want their body to be able to carry them through their entire life. It is said that we will rust up before we wear out. Remind them to eat a balanced diet and rest... and we will give them the cardio and strength training they need to be strong. But we want them to be able to practice self defense mentally and emotionally as well. "Be strong so that nothing can disturb your peace of mind." Let's help our students to make this happen.
Balance
July 13, 2008
The word of the week is BALANCE. The balance that we are talking about in class is physical balance as it relates to our spinning techniques. It is very important that students keep their ears over their shoulders and their shoulders over their hips - emphasizing excellent posture. The real trick is to live a balanced life: work, play, diet, finances, etc. Children need to take extra steps during the summer months to continue to educate themselves and stay in balance scholastically.
Persistent
July 6, 2008
The word of the week is PERSISTENT. All children are born with this character trait. Some have it removed faster than others by everyone in their world telling them "No". When a child really wants something, they will figure out all sorts of different ways to convince their parents that it should come to pass. They do not simply ask once and go on their merry way without getting what they want. Being persistent is a good thing.
Honor
June 29, 2008
The word of the week is HONOR. This is one of the cornerstones of our karate training. Our mission is to have our students not only understand it and how to use it in class, but to make it part of who they are. The students need to apply honor to their entire lives and to lead the way into a new tomorrow by educating their peers.
Active
June 22, 2008
The word of the week is ACTIVE. This is a quality that all of our students embrace. They are coming to class and staying physically active... they are sweating and smiling! Every day I have people come up to me and tell me how their body is sore. I love it! I push them hard physically and they love it! We must also make sure to remind them to stay mentally active. This is not just for the kids on summer vacation. This is for our adult students that get into the rut of daily activity and forget to "feed the machine". They must take an active stand to continually educate themselves.
Reflection
June 15, 2008
The word of the week is REFLECTION. Although not a character trait, this is something that I want you to talk to the students about this week. I want them to look back at the test and see how they performed and what they did to elicit that performance. How has the school year gone? Have they accomplished what they set out to do at the beginning of the year?
Passion
June 8, 2008
The word of the week is PASSION. We all have certain passions in our lives. The definition of passion is "a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept ". Our goal is to help our students to become passionate about life. We need to demonstrate by living this way ourselves. Every day before you get out of bed, count your blessings. I am sleeping in a comfortable bed, I have a roof over my head to keep out the weather, I have food to eat, I have clothes to wear, etc. Instead of saying, "I have to go to work". Try thinking "I have a job". There are a lot of people in this world that do not. When you look at life from this perspective it is much easier to be passionate about attacking the day. Let's make sure we are living by example.
Expect
June 1, 2008
The word of the week is EXPECT. We have certain expectations from our students. Depending on their age and rank, we expect different skills to be demonstrated at the test. Regardless, we have the expectation that all of them will work to their full potential both inside and outside of the dojo. Our students should all expect to do well if they have prepared properly. They should come to expect excellence from themselves. If they demand this level of quality from themselves, no one will be able to ask more of them.
Condifence
May 25, 2008
The word of the week is CONFIDENCE... There are many ways that confidence is demonstrated. It comes across in the way you physically position your body, the look on your face and in your eyes, the way that you project your voice, etc. This month we will is educate our students as to how to BE confident and not just look confident. Our goal is to teach our students the fundamentals of being a confident person. In the end it comes down to practice and building the confidence from within!
Resolute
May 18, 2008
The word of the week is RESOLUTE... I have met the enemy and he is me. In other words, the only thing that can stand in our way of success is ourselves. We are the limiting factors in what we can achieve. We must learn to be steadfast in our purpose and our convictions to be successful. We must understand the our enemy is mediocrity. We want to live lives that our full of success, regardless of our definition of success.
Conviction
May 11, 2008
The word of the week is CONVICTION... Webster's defines it as, "a state of mind in which one is free from doubt ". This is the feeling we want to have in as many areas of our life as possible. If you could free yourself from all doubt wouldn't that be powerful. Freeing yourself from doubt removes all of the limits you have. Our goal this week is to have our student become so self assured with a test item that it can be performed at black belt level. They need to understand what it takes to reach that level of conviction... practice!
Self-Assurance
May 4, 2008
The word of the week is SELF-ASSURANCE... What we are speaking of this week in regard to our monthly theme of confidence is being free from self doubt or uncertainty. We want our students to be self-assured in their abilities... their abilities to think, love, laugh, and live lives of purpose. They must believe in themselves so much that it won't bother them when no one else believes in them. We are building students that are assured in who they are as human beings.
Charity
April 27, 2008
The word of the week is CHARITY... There are many worthwhile causes in society that champion those in need of help. Some of these charities ask for your time, some need you to get your hands dirty, and some direct your funds to a target group. The point is, there are many ways to demonstrate kindness by getting involved with a charity. Never forget that charity begins at home! Take care of the ones you love!
Gratitude
April 20, 2008
The word of the week is GRATITUDE... So far this month we have been discussing how to visit kindness upon others. This week I want to turn inward and have us all take a look at the kindness that we are receiving. We need to always have an attitude of gratitude.
Courtesy
April 13, 2008
The word of the week is COURTESY... There are many ways that we can demonstrate this trait but the easiest is by using our best manners all of the time. That is the number one reason that we have all of the youth in the dojo respond with a "Yes Mam / Sir". Your manners muscles only get stronger when you work them out.
Generosity
April 6, 2008
The word of the week is GENEROSITY... There are many ways that we can be generous. We can give an ear to someone that needs to talk. We can offer our shoulder when someone needs to cry. We can lend a hand when someone needs help. We can open our wallet to give our funds. We can give our time and talents. Our goal for this week is to help students not only understand how generosity ties into kindness, but to help them actually perform these acts of kindness towards the entire earth.
Attitude
March 30, 2008
The word of the week is ATTITUDE... "It is your attitude not your aptitude that determines your altitude". This month has been devoted to the power of the mind as it relates to how we feel each and every day. Some people are born with a sunny disposition and easily find the bright side of every situation. For others it takes a concerted effort to make this happen. What we have been trying to instill in ourselves and our students is that it is possible for all of us. We have the power between our ears to make our own reality. Let's make it a happy one.
Choice
March 23, 2008
The word of the week is CHOICE... as in it is your choice to look at things from a positive or a negative viewpoint. If we had the power to choose whether we have a good day or a bad day, we would always choose to have a good day. If we had the power to choose whether we have a life full of love and abundance or a life of just "getting by", of course we would chose the former. The simple truth is.... we do have the power to make that choice. The challenge is to make that choice all day long, every day, until it becomes habitual to choose to look at the positive side of every situation.
Perspective
March 16, 2008
The word of the week is PERSPECTIVE... as in you have the power to control how you look at the world. This week I want you to talk to your students about the importance of looking at the positive side of every situation. This is something that will be harder for some than others. The key to this is to do something that I learned from a sparring seminar from Tim Tolliver...."pay attention". These two simple words have really changed my life this past year. I am paying more attention to everything... how I feel, how I speak, how I think, how I treat people, etc. I find that the more I pay attention, the more control I have in my life. We must pay attention to how we look at things and make a conscious effort to look from / for the positive side of everything.
Accountable
March 9, 2008
The word of the week is ACCOUNTABLE... as in holding yourself accountable for your thoughts and actions - or lack there of... This week I want you to talk to your students about the importance of accepting responsibility for how they feel inside. It is up to us to control this. Our goal this month will be to help people understand that we all have the power to chose how we feel. We cannot control things like the weather or what other people may say and do... but we do have the power to control how we react to these types of things.
Resilience
March 2, 2008
The word of the week is RESILIENCE. This week I want you to talk to your students about the power of being able to bounce back quickly from misfortune. It takes a strong person to be able to recover from failure. The most important thing is to look at the situation and learn from it. Often times we take things personally. We see the misfortune as a personal attack and become defensive. We need to be able to divorce ourselves from the situation and look at things objectively.
Honesty
February 24, 2008
The word of the week is HONESTY. This week I want you to impress upon your students how important it is to be honest. They must always tell their parents the truth. They must also understand that they must be honest with themselves first. They will be the only ones that really know how hard they have worked for what they have earned.
Independence
February 18, 2008
The word of the week is INDEPENDENCE. This week I want you to demonstrate how some of the greatest people in history had the ability to work independently: Mozart, DaVinci, Einstein, etc. They did not require people to stand over them and direct them to complete tasks. These people were self motivated and could drive themselves and others to victory. This is the same trait that our students must have to pass their exams and to achieve the rank of black belt. We will show them what to do, but they must be the ones to do the work. They must be able to work independently to make their karate better. They must also apply this to other aspects of their life. This is a quality of a leader.
Bravery
February 11, 2008
The word of the week is BRAVERY. This is going to tie in very well with the upcoming test. In order for us to get up in front of people and perform, we must be brave. This week I want all of the students to know how and where we feel afraid in our daily lives. We are often so good at performing under pressure that we don't think about stepping up to a challenge. We are accustomed to being brave. It is part of who we are and therefore how we exist.
Boldness
February 4, 2008
The word of the week is BOLDNESS. The old saying, "fortune favors the bold" is what we will be working on this week. There are also some negative connotations with being bold, but these are not the qualities we want to perpetuate. The synonyms for our purposes are: fearless, adventurous, brave, valiant, intrepid, valorous, dauntless.
Goals
January 28, 2008
The word of the month has been GOALS. We began this month by setting a goal (or goals), creating a vision board, establishing time lines, formulating a game plan and working that plan. The final stage on this is to be persistent. Patience and perseverance have a magical effect making difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. From the moment we commit to persevere through all challenges, we will be closer than we can imagine to success. Gambate!
Goals
January 21, 2008
We began this month by setting a goal (or goals). We have talked about what it means to have short, medium, and long term goals. We have begun with the end in mind and developed a map to achieving our desired goals. Now we just achieve them right? Wrong. All of this is academic unless we take action. We must take massive action. Every day we must do the things that get us closer to our desired outcome. We must work our plan.
Goals
January 14, 2008
This week I want you to teach your students one of Stephen Coveys' principles; Begin with the end in mind. Take a short term goal of a spelling test at the end of each week as an example. Let’s say that there are 20 words on this exam. By Friday morning I need to have all 20 words learned perfectly. Thursday I learn numbers 16 - 20 and review numbers 1 -15. On Wednesday I learn numbers 11 - 15 and review numbers 1 -10. On Tuesday I learn numbers 6 - 10 and review numbers 1 - 5. On Monday I learn numbers 1 - 5. This is the planning stage of the short term goal. This same formula can be used for any and all goals.
Vision Board
January 7, 2008
I want you to teach your students how to create a vision board. This is a way for you to take your goal from a theoretical stage and give it life. Take the goal of a new car. Find a magazine that has the exact car you want… the exact make, model, and color. Cut this picture out and attach it to a nice piece of heavy paper. Cut out your own picture of yourself from a photograph and place it in that new car. The next step is to fill the page with power words that will describe how you will feel once you have achieved this goal. Create a dream and visit it often!
Goals
January 1, 2008
The word of the month will be GOALS. This week I want you to teach your students about the three different time tables associated with goal setting: short, medium, and long term. Let them know that the time lines will vary based on personal interpretations and stations in life. For an 8 year old, a short term goal might be this afternoon. For an 18 year old it may be the end of this month. To a 38 year old it might be six months away. The time lines are different for all of us. But one thing is certain; we must all have goals and learn to set time tables related to them that they would like to accomplish. There must be a time line leads to this outcome. This will be our roadmap to our destination.
Balance
December 31, 2007
This week, talk to your students about balance. There are many things that we have to keep in balance in our daily lives: a balanced diet, a balance between work and play, a balanced budget, physical balance, etc. Ask your students to evaluate themselves using the "Wheel of Life". This is a pie chart where students can pick the categories that describe their lives: Health, Family, Spiritual, Financial, Educational, Professional, Social / Friends, etc. Once they have selected the categories, ask them to evaluate themselves from 0% to 100%. Shade in that slice accordingly. After they have given you feedback for all of the groups, erase the areas that are not shaded to 100%. The shape that we are often left with is less than circular. Then ask them, "If this was the wheel on your bike / car how would you be rolling through life?". This is a graphic example for all of the students to see what needs to be addressed.
Love
December 16, 2007
The word of the week will be LOVE. This is a biggie. Nothing worthwhile in this world can happen without it... nothing can be created without love. To many people it would seem odd to be talk about love as you practice punching and kicking. It is our love of life that keeps us training.
Teamwork
November 26, 2007
The word of the week is TEAMWORK. This week I want you to talk to your students about what it means to be a contributing member of a team. We are all members of teams: family, school, work, neighborhood, nation, and global. I am first and foremost a member of the "home team"... my family. We must be committed to making our "home team" as strong as possible. Talk to your students about making it their mission to be a contributing member of this team every day of their life.
Grateful
November 19, 2007
The quality of being grateful is a mental state that we should live in daily. This week I want you to talk to your students about all of the things that they should be grateful for in preparation for their Thanksgiving feast. I want them to make a list of both big and small items. Are they healthy? Are they loved? Can they make a difference? We need to wake everyday and count our blessings.
Responsible
November 12, 2007
The word of the week is Responsible. This week I want you to talk to your students about what it means to be a responsible human being. To become a responsible person we must begin with ourselves. We must work from the inside out. We are responsible for our state of mind... our attitude... our happiness. Once we are healthy, we must take this same approach to making our world better. It is our obligation to make a difference in this world.
Humble
November 5, 2007
The word of the week is HUMBLE. This week I want you to talk to your students about humility. It is a funny thing about people that are really good at what they do.... they don't have to tell you. You just see it in action. They don't have to make someone else feel badly for them to look good. In our industry, we fit that description. We have the best practitioners making the best students around.
Determined
October 28, 2007
How does one get what they want? They must be determined. It doesn't matter if you are striving for excellent grades, trying to make the school soccer team, perfecting your kata for the upcoming exam, or being a better human being... it takes an individual that is determined. I want you to give your students examples of those throughout history that have demonstrated the character trait. They are easy to find. They are the captains of industries, the leaders of political groups, and the masters in their chosen fields of endeavor. Despite hardships and challenges, they never gave up until they had been successful. As karate students we all share this same quality and it must be developed as it is one that will serve us well.
Dependable
October 21, 2007
This week we will talk about being dependable. Ask your students who they can always turn to in times of need. Who is the most dependable? The top of the list will be Mom and Dad. Ask them why. Parents are always there for their kids. As parents we have an unconditional love for our children until we leave this earth. As instructors, we need to take the same type of approach and always be here to serve our students.
Honorable
October 10 , 2007
This week, teach your students about what it means to be honorable. It is important for our students to show honor to all people; their parents, teachers, friends and neighbors. Remind them that it does not matter kind of clothes others may wear, what kind of car they ride in, the type of religion they may practice, or the color of their skin. We need to prepare our students with enough self confidence and appreciation for all people so that they may treat everyone honorably. Let them know that they should be an example for others to follow.
Courage
September 30, 2007
This week we are talking about courage. Students will have the opportunity to exercise courage when they get up in front of class to demonstrate kata, count for drills, answer questions, and perform under pressure. They will have to use courage when they strap on their sparring gear and step into the ring. Students must be given an opportunity in every class to experience the application of courage. The next step is to teach them how to use this important trait in their daily lives, at home at school and with their peers. Our job as Karate West instructors is to help our students develop courage so that they are prepared to succeed in life.
Courage
September 17, 2007
The word of the week is COURAGE. According to Webster's, courage is "mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty". Our mission is to help our students understand that this is being strengthened every time they step on the training floor.
Word of the week: Self Disclipine
September 10, 2007
This week, focus on self discipline with your students. Self discipline comes into play many times during each day... from the time the alarm goes off in the morning, to that late night movie that we have to turn off before the end. We are given opportunity after opportunity to strengthen our self discipline muscle. Every time we make a correct decision we get stronger. You have heard it said many times before... "Champions don't give up... they turn it up". Help your students become champions at life. They don't need to be the next CEO of a major corporation, but wouldn't it be nice if they had that choice. Let's help to give them the tools that they will need to be successful at life whatever their definition of success.
Honesty
September 3 , 2007
Talk with the students this week about the importance of Honesty. We need to teach students to be honest with themselves in an empowering way. It is said that, "our inner world creates our outer world". What we say to ourselves all day long in our inner dialog can either make us or break us. We need to make sure that our "little voice" is helping us to grow in a positive direction.
Focus
August 27, 2007
This week I want you to deliver the message of focus to your students. I want them to understand the power of focus and how they need to apply it to karate, home, and school / work. They need to experience what it is to be focused. Have them stand perfectly still. Have them lock their eyes on a target like laser beams. Have them practice their kata in their head. These are ways for them to experience and exercise focus within the dojo. Now I want them to understand how they can use it to get ready for their best school year ever. Show them how to walk in the room and greet their teacher with good eye contact. This is how they use the eye focus they have practiced. Have them sit in front of the room with good posture. This is how they use the body focus they have practiced in their katas. Have them ask good questions at the appropriate time. Here they are demonstrating that they are mentally focused. Tell them to expect to do well.... because karate students have tenacity, are self confident, and know how to be focused.
Self Confidence
August 19, 2007
One of the best ways to empower our students for success is by instilling them with self confidence. Begin by having your students stand at attention while they hold their shoulders back, head high, and chest out. Have them use the proper body chamber and mental focus in every move they perform. The way that they stand, move and speak will physically project the confidence we are helping them achieve. At each step along the way to black belt, they will build self confidence as they master new challenges. Our job as instructors is to demonstrate confidence in our students as they develop confidence in themselves.
Tenacity
August 13, 2007
Ask your students to come up with a definition for the word tenacity. Then have them provide an example of a world leader that has demonstrates this quality. Point out to the students that they also have this quality. There have been times in their lives that they all have wanted to quit at something: running laps at soccer, cleaning their rooms, a subject at school, a relationship with a friend, a drill in karate, etc. They did not quit because they have tenacity. They share this same character trait with famous world leaders. One of the ways these individuals became world leaders was by not quitting when the urge arose. They stuck to it! Let your students know that they have the potential to BE that world leader. By sharing the same qualities of someone that is great... they are great themselves.
Creating a Game Plan
August 5, 2007
This week, I'd like you to talk with your students about developing a "game plan" for their next big endeavor. For some students their next challenge may be to get into the Black Belt Prep Course at the end of this month. Other students may want to begin their next school year as a 4.0 student. Still others may have a big project at work that they need to do well on to get that promotion they are seeking. No matter the endeavor, they must begin by doing inner work. Zig Zigglar is known for saying, "You gotta be before you can do. You gotta do before you can have." That is why karate is so wonderful. It is about the improvement of ones self. If we devote time everyday to the improvement of ourselves, we are one step closer to achieving our goal.
Compasion
July 22, 2007
This week, our "Wrap It Up" circle time with students focuses on Compassion. Ask them what they can do that demonstrates putting other people’s needs before their own. After they have come up with ideas, challenge them to put these ideas into action! Teach them this saying, "What I hear I forget. What I see I remember. What I do I understand." Putting their great ideas into action will allow the students to really understand at their individual levels what compassion is all about. They can make a difference. We will teach them how!
Be In the Moment
July 15, 2007
Yesterday I was fortunate enough to spend the entire day with my family playing in the sun. It got me thinking
about the Karate West staff. Our goal as teachers is to "be in the moment" when we are with our students. Really be there... wholly. Let us commit ourselves, giving 100%. Let each and every class we teach be the most important class that we teach.
Make a Memory
July 1, 2007
The one thought that keeps coming back to me from the recent staff meeting is the influence that truly great teachers can have on the lives of their students. We have all had those teachers that we remember vividly. We remember some of them because they were great teachers and others because they were not. As Karate West instructors, we have the wonderful opportunity to enrich the lives of our students by inspiring them to believe in themselves. By showing our students that we believe in them, we encourage them believe in themselves. Extraordinary teachers have an impact on the lives of their students that lasts a lifetime. Let us seize the moment and make a memory.
Creating Outstanding Citizens
June 24, 2007
We have a much larger goal for our students than simply teaching them to be good karate practitioners. We are an intricate piece of their success puzzle. We have the opportunity to help children become outstanding citizens. Look around Karate West at the quality of the individuals. For example, there are about a dozen Eagle Scouts that train with us (Collin Wick has just received this honor). A concentration of such high caliber individuals is simply unheard of in other groups. This is not a coincidence. Most of these students started with Karate West when they were young children. Their parents report that we have helped form their ethics during their journey at Karate West. Students like these are the future leaders of our community. Thank you for all you do every week to make our community a brighter place for all.
