Aikido in Schools: What are your thoughts?

I can't speak to Aikido in schools directly, but I do have experience with martial arts as school curriculum. I work as an aide at a public charter school in Milwaukee for students (grades 1-12) with learning disabilities and behavioral issues. Most of our student body is made up of children from low income and/or inner city families.

All of our students who are physically able take taekwondo as a class. We have a wonderful taekwondo instructor on staff who is very focused on teaching students the principles of the martial arts (rather than just the moves) and I am seeing it work wonders for my students, especially those students who have trouble controlling their anger.

Perhaps aikido might be a little more difficult to implement than taekwondo, because aikido requires a greater degree of trust between students. But I can say this for certain: martial arts training at my school is really, truly saving lives.

Lyle, I kind of see your point, I think. It just means 'please', of course, but from the context in Aikido it means 'please practice with me'. And that can certainly imply important things like agreeing to try help each other learn and agreeing to look out for each other's safety as well as our own, and, for example, the fact that what you're doing is by mutual consent and for mutual benefit is one of the things that makes some of the things we do in training ethically OK (hitting, grabbing, pinning, etc).

As long as you don't tell kids that the japanese phrase 'onegaeshimasu' _literally_ means all that - I would tell them that it literally is just 'please', and then get into the discussion of what we're asking please for - I don't think it's totally out there to draw attention to the significance of asking please before you attack someone....

My Sensei has taught High School (13 -17) aged students through their schools on quite a few occasions, usually a block of classes are held one week after another.

He has had mixed results depending on the students and their level of maturity when it comes to behavior.

Some weeks they hardly progressed from being able to sit still for a few minutes or to being able to put their bags and shoes in an orderly fashion. But he is a very patient and determined person and has managed to achieve results that teachers could not.
I beleive it is those most troubled and uneducated that need to be reached out to most, and this definately includes children of all ages. They should be at least able to have a glimpse into a world they may have never experienced, let alone heard of before. They may not grasp the opportunity at the time or ever for that matter, but at least there is an awareness there is more to their world than they knew before.

Our childrens classes have shown that through persistence, troubled younger people can be shown a path of greater harmony and happiness.

Who is to say that anyone should not be given the chance to train?

Sandy Tisdall-Tait wrote: Some weeks they hardly progressed from being able to sit still for a few minutes or to being able to put their bags and shoes in an orderly fashion. But he is a very patient and determined person and has managed to achieve results that teachers could not. I beleive it is those most troubled and uneducated that need to be reached out to most, and this definately includes children of all ages. They should be at least able to have a glimpse into a world they may have never experienced, let alone heard of before. They may not grasp the opportunity at the time or ever for that matter, but at least there is an awareness there is more to their world than they knew before. Our childrens classes have shown that through persistence, troubled younger people can be shown a path of greater harmony and happiness. Who is to say that anyone should not be given the chance to train?

The counterarguments to having aikido training in schools have nothing to do with not giving them a chance to train; that's a strawman argument. They do have a chance to train, the same as anyone else: dojos are not closed to them. As far as the whole outreach argument: yes, youth at risk are in need of outreach. So...why do you want aikido senseis to do it? How many sensei do you know who are professional educators, or social workers, or psychologists? Believing that an aikido sensei, by virtue of being an aikido sensei, is somehow qualified to help people with their personal problems and struggles, is just buying into the standard set of myths and misconceptions about martial arts.

Basia Halliop wrote: Lyle, I kind of see your point, I think. It just means 'please', of course, but from the context in Aikido it means 'please practice with me'. And that can certainly imply important things like agreeing to try help each other learn and agreeing to look out for each other's safety as well as our own, and, for example, the fact that what you're doing is by mutual consent and for mutual benefit is one of the things that makes some of the things we do in training ethically OK (hitting, grabbing, pinning, etc). As long as you don't tell kids that the japanese phrase 'onegaeshimasu' _literally_ means all that - I would tell them that it literally is just 'please', and then get into the discussion of what we're asking please for - I don't think it's totally out there to draw attention to the significance of asking please before you attack someone....

This is what I am saying. Thank you.

Mary Malmros wrote: The counterarguments to having aikido training in schools have nothing to do with not giving them a chance to train; that's a strawman argument. They do have a chance to train, the same as anyone else: dojos are not closed to them. As far as the whole outreach argument: yes, youth at risk are in need of outreach. .

Some folks do not have a chance to train for a variety of different reasons; for the children in the afterschool program that I currently work with it is a financial situation not to mention distance. I'm sure most of us can relate to missing out on a seminar or something due to financial reasons.

So...why do you want aikido senseis to do it? How many sensei do you know who are professional educators, or social workers, or psychologists? Believing that an aikido sensei, by virtue of being an aikido sensei, is somehow qualified to help people with their personal problems and struggles, is just buying into the standard set of myths and misconceptions about martial arts.

I don't think because one is an Aikido instrutor they are qualified to help people with their personal problems etc, but I think if someone has a good heart and a genuine desire to help another person he/she shouldn't need to be a professional educator, social worker, or psychologist. No doubt there are those that may require help from such professionals but from my experience, admitedly limited, anyone can make a difference in another person's life.

Perhaps we should agree to disagree.