Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)
Imagine, if you will, how you would classify a "good teacher?" Visualize the effort and knowledge and understanding along with character, personality and teaching styles of that "good teacher." What are the feelings you have that tell you your teacher is a "good one?" If you don't have a good teacher to evaluate then suppose you try the "what if" scenario, what if I had a good teacher then how do I know that he or she is a good teacher? Pretend that you do, what are the characteristics and criteria you would use to measure that persons ability to teach well?
Can you see in your minds eye now that which you picture makes your teacher a good teacher? Is it based on strictly an emotional reaction that speaks to why you like the teacher then ask, is that because I like the person or is it because I like the teaching, the learning and the understanding I derive from the teachers effort to covey thoughts, facts, idea’s, theories and understanding of any and all parts of a subject matter? Is it based on a list of facts, abilities and methodologies distinctly separate from the individuals character and personality that you can list that is bolstered emotionally by that persons character and personality?
In the martial arts industry be it sport, philosophical self-help oriented or the self-defense defense aspects there seems to be no qualifying criteria that makes for one who should be teaching. Notice I said, “should be teaching,” because one who achieves a level of expertise with the associated knowledge, understanding and applicable abilities as a black belt, sho-dan, do not necessarily meet those things that make a teacher good and the student who benefits able to achieve understanding.
What is necessary is a baseline fundamental set of criteria that can be used in the industry to make sure good teachers are teaching and not just people we like emotionally teaching that should not be teaching because just having the knowledge of a subject and even an understanding of a subject DOES NOT MAKE a GOOD TEACHER.
Credentials: As a Marine NCO I taught military subjects and led classes on achieving a young fledgling Marine’s efforts toward their first job speciality or what we use to term as their first, “MOS.” Later, while stationed on Okinawa I worked as an associate sensei with the First Sergeant who had been a drill instructor as well as other professional instructor MOS’s in his career such as radio-man MOS, etc. then I branched off as a Sensei under his supervision through the Marine Special Services system to teach other Marines and dependents karate. I later worked four years as the Lead Instructor of the MOJT program at Camp Lejeune responsible to training and qualifying young Marines for the Motor Transport MOS. Last three years of active duty as the Platoon Commander and Chief Licensing Instructor for the Base Motor Transport Company.
Credentials cont’d: I was professionally trained while attending Marine Corps Recruiter’s School in San Diego along with several civilian training programs that were incorporated into Recruiter’s School to supplement and benefit that job speciality geared toward civilian rather than military. I was considered a trained and qualified military instructor that one should know is different from a teacher or mentor or other type of civilian oriented teaching ability.
Credentials cont’d: As a civilian I also provided teaching and instruction at a major military storage location in CONUS where I trained and taught and supervised several highly skilled and classified subjects and job specialties.
Credentials cont’d: I actively taught, trained with and built a solid martial karate foundation of knowledge, understanding and abilities in and out of the military through my dojo at the Naval Weapons Station until I retired in 1998, a span of twenty-two years and continued to teach indirection for another ten years while the last decade in combination with teaching and not directly teaching while I studied and researched a variety of aspects in martial traditions delineating between the various forms of teaching martial arts, i.e., Philosophically speaking, sport competition efforts and most of all in the realm of self-defense defense where I put ninety percent of my efforts in understanding the complexities of that discipline.
Credentials cont’d: In my last work as a IT professional at a major university as a staff member I also provided instruction and support for computer management and support along with quality assurance efforts as well as release management of Enterprise Software in support of the Universities objectives, goals and support to students, professors and IT folks.
Here is my fundamental professional resume:
Lifetime Resume
Construction Worker: Drywall
Food Services: Produce Stocking
USMC/Military (9 years 11 months):
- Motor Transport Chief NCO/SNCO (Non Commissioned Officer/Staff Non-commissioned Officer)
- Licensing & Training SNCO
- Recruiter
- Career Planner
- Platoon Sergeant/Commander (SNCO)
- Martial Arts Instructor Special Services
NWSC Civil Service (15+ years):
- Motor Vehicle Operator Mail Services
- Warehouse Manager/Forklift Operator
- Materials Expeditor MAERU World Replenishment Manager
- Communications Security Manager
- Radiation Control Technician
- Special Weapons Technician (WG-10)
- UNION Chief Steward AFGE
- Container Repair Technician
- Physical Security Manager/Specialist GS-11 (Retired)
UC Berkeley (18 years):
- Mail Room College of Engineering
- Programmer Analyst I/II
- QA/Release Management Analyst III
As you can see, except in some instances, none of this makes or qualifies or means that I am a good teacher. I was a professional military instructor and that along with its objectives is different from teaching. Remember, teaching is one distinct thing; instruction is another.
The best example I can present as to what I perceive as a good teacher is:
Rory Miller, Violence Professional (also skilled martial artist)
Marc MacYoung, Violence Professional (also skilled martial artist)
Iain Abernethy (skilled martial artist) teacher of karate, etc.
For reference and sources and professionals go here: Bibliography (Click the link)
No comments:
Post a Comment