I am very fortunate to have the chance to be able to teach in the kids classes. It is something that kung fu has given me, that is irreplaceable. I have learned and experienced so much in the past year of teaching, that many 13 year olds don't usually get a chance to.
First of all, it is so inspiring to watch some of the kids in their classes. They have so much passion, and determination to succeed in what they are doing. I think this is something that many of us could learn from. Sometimes the longer we do something, we sometimes loose the passion that we had when we first started. We know that we have it, but it doesn't isn't always apparent to others. These kids just have so much drive to get something new that they just learned right. A good example of this is watching some of the new white belts trying to do their first shoulder roll. They watch the instructor do it a couple of times, and they say that it looks so easy, but they just cannot get it right. You can see the frustration in their eyes but they just wont give up. I think this is something that we can all learn from.
It is also cool to see how open most of them are. You'll have a kid that you have never even seen before come up and give you a hug and start telling you about the highlights of their day. Yesterday, Sihing Young came out to the 5:00 class to help out. We were doing stations and she was right into it with all of the kids. I think she was a bit shocked when one of the students ran up to her and gave her a big hug, and wouldn't let go :-). It was really cool because I know for a fact that the student had never seen or met her before.
I have been helping with the kids classes for around a year and a half now, and they have taught me so so much. I think that anyone that steps in there is (most of the time) given a truly great experience. If you get the chance, pop in there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We like the help ;-)
"A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
~Albert Einstein
