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Old 07-05-2011, 10:51 AM   #39
ninjaqutie
 
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Re: Open Letter to My Students

Quote:
George S. Ledyard wrote: View Post
I have attached a document which has been posted on the board at the dojo for several years. It is supposed to be given to each new member when they enroll but this has fallen into inconsistency. So I am attaching it now for folks to read. I would especially point out the requirements that be met in order to be promoted past 4th Kyu. People are totally free to determine how much they train etc. But it is my job to set the "standard" for the dojo.
Sorry George, I took you TOO literally I guess.

I think what George is striving for would certainly be the ideal. The problem is, not many people are willing to live the way needed to make aikido their way of life. I am ashamed to say that I am nowhere near this "ideal" student. Unlike many others, I have no kids and my husband also does aikido. I do have a dog that needs to be cared for, so that does take a bit of planning. I do have a full time job working in a forensic lab and my husband and I do our best to fit aikido in.

The dojo has classes five days a week and I am only able to train three days (though I used to train four before I got injured- my body can't handle four days again yet). I live about 18 miles from the dojo, which takes me about a half hour to make. When I was mandated to take two months off from class, I still paid dues and went and watched when my husband trained and I also helped out with cleaning and fundraisers if there were any. The issue I had, was that I could not justify driving that far, sitting out and watching the classes that my husband wasn't able to attend due to work. My husband and I are struggling financially to make ends meet and like others have mentioned, I choose save the gas money in order to have the bills paid instead of putting in mat time.

We do give up a lot in order to pay our $200 a month dues, but I am sure someone could easily state that we could be more frugal in order to go to more seminars and train more often. We could give up cable and internet and oh.... get rid of the dog and I'm certain we would be able to afford a bit more.

Despite the fact I can not be as dedicated as I would like, I try to make an effort to be the best student I can be. I am one of the students that used to be very reliable. If it was Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday, you would see me on the mat. For a while, there were only about three students who would show up on a regular basis and there were many times where my instructor and I had private or semi-private lessons because no one else showed up.

My biggest hope is to return to my previous schedule once I am finally able. My foot just can't handle the training schedule that I had before. If I had the time and money, I would love to ditch work all together and join an unchideshi program or kenshusei program, but unfortunately, neither of those is in the cards for me at the moment. As it is, I hardly see my husband and if I were to take on a kenshusei program when I am able, my husband would never see me. Would he understand, I believe he would, but my marriage is very important to me.

I am truly inspired by those who can and are able to dedicate their life towards aikido. It is an admirable thing and when I walk in and see my dojo more or less empty, I am saddened. There is another aikido dojo not too far from mine and their mats are always packed (or so I hear). It is my impression that they run their dojo with a completely different attitude and that things are a bit more laid back then ours, but I can't say for certain since I have never gone. It is a shame that there are so many excellent teachers with empty mats... or they have a student population that chooses not to train on a regular basis for one reason or another.

I guess the bottom line is we all have choices. Some of our choices we have various options to pick from. Others we do not. Some choices just... are. For those of us who truly can't afford to go to seminars or train as often as we'd like because we need to pay bills, get new tires, work late, etc a bit of leniency would be appreciated. Then again, most instructors know who those students are and appreciate those students presence when they can make it.

All in all, great blog George.... a lot to think about. Thanks.

Last edited by ninjaqutie : 07-05-2011 at 10:55 AM.

~Look into the eyes of your opponent & steal his spirit.
~To be a good martial artist is to be good thief; if you want my knowledge, you must take it from me.
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