Reflections on responsibilities, mutual respect and healthy boundaries between ITF instructors and students.
Responsibilities • Respect • Integrity
Teaching as a Shared Journey
Continuous improvement for both instructor and student
There are many instructors of Tae Kwon Do and other Martial Arts. Some are excellent and some are truly incompetent. Most are probably on middle ground. Teaching should be a journey of continuous improvement and learning on the part of the instructor, as well as for the student. When we decide to become teachers, we are volunteering to take on some serious responsibilities.
Many instructors do not seem to realize the full extent of their impact on the student, for good or bad. On the other hand there are students who do not understand where the teacher’s responsibilities end and their own begin. In hopes of maximizing the positives in both the teaching and learning process, this article is a discussion of some basic principles concerning the student/instructor relationship as it pertains to teaching in general.
Responsibilities of ITF Instructors
What teachers owe to their students and to the art
ITF instructors owe their students everything they have to give
When a student comes to a specific instructor, she/he might be there to learn what some teachers call “secret” or “signature” techniques. An instructor should not hold back any information of their art. If anyone does not want to share their experience and knowledge, then they should not take on the task of teaching, because sharing is what teaching is on its most fundamental level.
ITF instructors owe something to the art
In the process of teaching, we must strive to maintain the integrity of the ART that we are passing on to our students. It is our job to teach right movement, give cultural definition to concepts of essence, and share historical and cultural context.
Responsibilities of ITF Students
Where loyalty should truly be placed
Focus on becoming the best practitioner possible
Students owe no loyalty to an instructor beyond upholding the integrity of what they have been taught. Students have the right to study with whomever they choose without hostility or pressure.
Respect for the class environment
Students should not interrupt the flow of class to show techniques learned elsewhere. They are present to learn the material the instructor is teaching.
Individual Attention & Questions
Supporting each student’s learning path
A student of ITF is a single entity
Students have the right to expect reasonable individual attention. The instructor’s role is not only to demonstrate technique, but to help each student understand and apply it.
A student has the right to ask questions
Students must feel comfortable asking questions. Instructors should answer respectfully and honestly— even if the correct answer sometimes is: “I don’t know.”
Performance, Growth & Professional Boundaries
Promoting development with integrity
Students who wish to perform or compete
Instructors should support students who want to perform or compete, helping them choose appropriate tournaments and encouraging them to attend seminars with senior instructors.
Instructors must avoid competing with their own students or holding them back. Students should respect their instructor’s guidance and wait until they are fully ready to perform in public.
Professional boundaries
Personal friendships between instructor and student often lead to favoritism and disrupt classroom discipline. Maintaining professional boundaries is essential.
Towards a Healthy Relationship
These principles help both students and instructors understand what to expect in a healthy relationship. They promote mutual respect, dedication to the art, and reduce confusion at the political level.