Teaching kids

I love teaching kids. I’ve said this before and I am positive I will say it again. Pretty regularly a parent will tell me how much their child has improved in some manner. Whether that be self-confidence, grades, behavior, etc and it really makes my day when I hear these sorts of things.  Here is a message one of my parents posted on Facebook.

“Joey is sooooo stoked about his belt testing coming up soon. I am so proud of how far he has come with his self confidence level @ Derby City MMA. His last stripe he earned was the highlight of his week, he was telling EVERYBODY :o) Can’t wait until his belt testing!!! Thanks for all you do Chewy and his other teachers/mentors!”

 

That pretty much made my night. Comments like that remind me why teaching children is a blessing and something to embrace, rather than something to shy away from because its difficult or uncomfortable compared to teaching adults. Even if I have a group of kids for a short time, that’s still enough time for me to have a positive impact on their lives. To etch positive images into their memories. Something that will stick with them, well into their adulthood. Think about all the things you experienced as a child and how the images are burned into your psyche. For better or for worse, many of the things we experience as youngsters have huge impacts later on in our lives in ways we would have never imagined. I would like to think that if I am able to instill a little self-confidence, mental & physical toughness, the skills necessary for basic self defense, and some discipline into a child, it will improve their lives as the grow older. Whether they continue to train with me or not.