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B: Great question. I know that I longed for my
instructors to tell me and other students that we were
doing well. We all looked up to our instructor/s. As I
got older and began teaching students of my own, I did
not consider this issue at first. I became the old
school stone faced instructor that drove my students
hard, saying little to them. Several major things
happened in my own life that made me step back and take
a good look at things. After that I changed greatly what
I taught, how I taught it, and how I treated the
students. Now I make sure that I complement them on
their progress. Now I understand just how important it
is to them. And now I understand how much better it
makes me feel to see the way they light up when
complemented. If I could change my younger years, the
only change would be that I would have done this sooner.
We only have one chance in life to do the right thing.
We can be selfish and try to act the all knowing
emotionless tough guy. Or we can be human and treat
others as we would like to be treated. We can learn to
not be afraid to let others see that we are not perfect.
The power of a kind word, a smile, a laugh can help
someone more than anything else we can offer sometimes.
Your post makes me think that your Sensei has matured in
his own way and come to the same realization.
Just my thoughts.
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