Quote:
Originally Posted by Apache
The best way to teach kids is to make it fun and enjoyable. I used to own a Martial Arts School and taught a lot of kids. The worst mistake I have seen is treating the younger kids like adults. They do not learn the same way. As long as they were having fun it did not matter to them that they were learning and working out. A bored child will not learn.
When my son was in middle school, the School hired a teacher with great credentials from teaching men in the Air Force. He tried to teach the children using the same methods and could not figure out why his was the worst class in the school.
Keep the children interested and make it fun and they can do anything.
Apache
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Oddly enough, I've been teach karate to both kids and adults (different classes, of course) for the past 20 years. Yea, I know you don't treat kids and adults the same. I know all about trying to make lessons interesting for kids and how to motivate kids. The issue is that in this "no child left behind" era, there are kids who don't want to learn. They want to goof off. At least in karate, we can keep them active, even if they aren't learning the stuff they need to learn to advance. A kid who is simply disruptive can eventually be told to either shape up or leave. I think we have refunded parents' money and told them not to come back a handful of times over those 20 years, rare but it does happen. And this is where parents are paying money for kids to come, so it's more like a private school than a public school.
Even the best teacher can't connect with all his or her students, especially once you get to the teen years. With karate, those who don't want to learn, eventually drop out. Think about how many kids you taught actually got their black belt? The average that I've read is 1 in 100. Public schools don't have that luxury. For the most part, they are required to keep advancing everyone.