From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #210 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Thur, 30 March 2000 Vol 07 : Num 210 In this issue: the_dojang: What day do you become a master the_dojang: Report Card thread the_dojang: Re: report cards... the_dojang: Re: Lady Timberland the_dojang: Masters the_dojang: seeking qualified police officers [none] ========================================================================= The_Dojang, serving the Internet since June 1994. 800 members strong! Copyright 1994-2000: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe the_dojang-digest" (no quotes) in the body (top line, left justified) of a plain text e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. To send e-mail to this list use the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and online search the last four years worth of digest issues at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jere R. Hilland" Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 18:04:16 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: What day do you become a master <> I see people post the title 'master' in front of their names often and yes, I think it is a little egocentric. But those people I know, who are my seniors, teachers and friends, such as Master JR West, Master Geoff Booth, Master Rich Hodder and Master Harold Whalen of this group, you will note, do not. All of these aforementioned gentlemen are at least the rank of 7th dan. Mmmm. Do we see a trend? I also notice that those who use the term master for themselves are my around my rank (I am 5th dan in hapkido and a 4th dan in taekwondo) and new to the term 'master'. Master West's statement at the beginning of this post speaks volumes to me about this subject. He is the one who gave me the title 'master' after I became a 5th dan as he is my teacher, but I had been a 'master instructor' previous to that starting in 92 when I obtained my 4th dans in both arts and the term bothered me then. As Master Hodder stated about another subject, this is only my opinion; nevertheless, it is indeed a time in ones training when one can easily let the title get the best of you. We have all seen this happen. All you have to do is look at the ads in the back of taekwondo times. At least I do not have to worry about this happening as a 6'-4" Irish 8th dan will be knocking my door down if it does! Jere ------------------------------ From: "Jere R. Hilland" Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 18:07:28 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: Report Card thread In my Houston dojang we teach taekwondo to children, and hapkido to adults. I am not concerned with what they do outside of class other that what I teach them in class. Furthermore, I am not qualified. But as previously stated by Master Hodder, this is the way "I" do things and it is only "my" opinion! Jere ------------------------------ From: Donnla Nic Gearailt Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 00:21:20 +0100 Subject: the_dojang: Re: report cards... Hi all, I would like to add my 2c to the current hot debate about report cards in the dojang. I am from Ireland, where success in school final exams is crucial to getting into college, and a degree seen as the only means of getting a decent job. Consequently Irish society, and schools, place a very high emphasis on academic achievement. It is not good enough to do your best, you have to get certain grades in those exams or you won't be going to college. Students are under tremendous pressure from parents, relatives, neighbours, friends and of course teachers to study, study, study and succeed. As a result, low grades lead to low self-esteem - the student thinks, I am never going to get into college, I will never get a job, I am a loser. Now, if you can find the student an activity where they can do well despite the lack of success with the books, like sports, crafts etc that can make them feel a lot better. If anything, it gives them something to do during which their grades, schoolwork and potential career prospects are not relevant, and so they are not being judged as a 'loser'. In my view if you introduced report cards into leisure activities like sports, this would compound the problems experienced by students doing poorly at school, leading them to think that their low grades meant that there was no area in life in which said grades did not deliver a final judgement on their worth as a person, "not only am I a loser at school, but my athletics coach thinks so too, therefore I may as well just give up trying". Low expectatiosns leads to low achievement. Now, I am only talking about this regarding the situation I am familiar with, that in my home country. I cannot offer any comment on the situation in other countries. On the subject of parents, another question I have been meaning to ask for some time. Teachers are often asked to look out for signs in kids that there is something wrong at home (abuse, drug-taking in the family, erratic finances, etc). What do you do as an instructor if it becomes apparent that such a situation exists? Do you get involved and talk to the parents, or refer them to the school social worker? How do you manage this situation without getting personally involved? Just interested. Donnla. ps For those of you wondering I am now 25 and it is almost 10 years since I left secondary school and realised there was more to life than books... - ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Donnla Nic Gearailt Computer Laboratory, New Museums Site, Graduate Student Pembroke St., Cambridge CB2 3QG, U.K. tel: +44-1223-334619 http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~dbn20/ "An eyelash! How could you be so careless!" - Jude Law, Gattaca ------------------------------ From: "Mitar" Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 03:13:04 +0100 Subject: the_dojang: Re: Lady Timberland * Sorry Ray, sorry guys, this isn't about MA, but I had to write it! * Hi Kim, I've been asking myself since I read your letter: "Wow, when and how has this girl actually read my mind?" I have to say that your last letter was much more than great. Very clear, very smart, describing many people's feelings, I'm sure. If parents (not just yours, but of many children in the similar position as yours and mine too, two years ago - if I understood well you're a last year high school student; how old are you, if I may ask?) could understand only a little part of Kim's e - mail, I'm sure they would act much differently. > Whoo, Salutatorian! I'm just worried > about trying not to strangle my Dawson's Creek type peers and > make it to graduation. I'm more concerned with the fact that my > cho-dan testing is Easter Sunday, and the March testing group > had a 50% fail rate, with the fact my Sabomnim is a bit irate > over it. I'm even more concerned about following etiquette with > my date tomorrow night than the fact I'm salutatorian. There are many, many things that are more important to a high - school student than their grades. If parents (or anyone else) would think about those things much more deeply and carefully than they do, they would see that their children are right. > Your ability to learn...NO, YOUR DESIRE to learn should be the > thing that people weigh in heavily when taking you in as a > student and keeping you. > ........................... > Your desire to learn is what should drive you in class. You > want to learn everything you can try and learn...life is > short...do not obsess over the little things like grades much. If a student has the desire to learn and does that a reasonable ammount of time per day, it is more than enough. If he/she will get an "A", "B", "C", or "D" is the last thing on world that matters. If a student gives their best, how can anyone demand more? When the pressure is repeated again and again, it will mentally destroy the kid. > I have heard countless times how I > could have scholarships denied to me because I didn't make > straight-A's or I'm pulling C's in Calculus, or how a B on my > transcript will guarantee me a job as a fry-cook at Burger > King...but does it really frickin' matter? About the Burger King fry - cook thing, the same thing was told to me by my parents, with a difference about my future job. They would say that I'll finish at the railroad station, carrying other people's bags (my grades were straight "5"s with one or two "3"s; we get grades from one to five, with "5" being the best one). > But all the time, if I don't bring an A home (because my > past performance has been nothing but), I hear the stories for > days and days on end. I'm sure I could publish many books with my parents' stories when I didn't get an "A", and become rich by selling the books. The conclusion: For the parents on this list, the MA teachers that demand higher grades, their friends and all the people who think that they're doing the right thing, PLEASE think again what you are doing! Read the next snip, those could probably be your child's thoughts! > Gently encourage your kids to do well, but do not expect them to > be the Brain and bring home a (near) perfect transcript after 13 > years of public (or private...or both) schooling. Expect them to > do their best and LEARN. These schools are turning out people who > only know how to memorize. Be involved, but don't be overbearing. > It can make your child neurotic (as I have been on > many occasions because I'm not making an A in a hard class like > Calculus or Chemistry). > ........................... > I hope maybe > you realize how important a balance of all things is important, > even to the little ones. Too much of a good thing (like > studying) CAN BE BAD!! I also have a few question for you, Kim. What is "Cho - Dan"? I know Korean ordinal numbers from 1 to 8 (Il, Ee, Sam, Sa, Oh, Uke, Chil, Pal) but "Cho"? Which Korean MA have you been practicing ? Many regards especially for Kim, and for the rest of you guys of course, Mitar P. S. Kim, sorry if I misrepresented any of your thoughts! Post P. S. I was truly amazed with Mi(a)ster West's and Mi(a)ster Sweet's great wisdom when I read their words about the Master Title. I admire you very much. ------------------------------ From: YMCATKD@aol.com Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 22:16:10 EST Subject: the_dojang: Masters <<>> I have my 4th dan however I do not use my title either here or do my students call me master or Sabumnim. I still dont feel good enough or wise enough.....maybe its that I came up in martial arts thinking that masters were these wide old men.....I dont know. I personally feel the term master has a negative ring to it in our culture due to slavery. If I was to have my students address me with a title it would be Sabumnim. What does everyone think? Andy ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 19:32:51 -0800 (PST) Subject: the_dojang: seeking qualified police officers FYI... Ray DynCorp Technical Services is seeking qualified police officers DynCorp is seeking active or recently retired police officers of any rank who are eager to accept a challenging and adventurous assignment with one of our International Police Missions. Retired officers must have retired within the last three years to qualify. The State Department is coordinating these missions through DynCorp, a technical services contractor. Requirements to qualify: - US Citizen - Minimum 8 years of active full-time sworn civilian police service to include patrol/training experience - Ability to read/write/speak English. Fluency in other languages a plus - Valid US drivers license and ability to drive a 4x4 vehicle with a manual transmission - Unblemished background record - Excellent health - US passport required Compensation total: $78,000 to $100,000 (the first $74,000 is exempt from federal taxes) For immediate and future needs Information 817-731-5417 Fax your resume to 817-570-2120 or 817-570-2808 E-mail your resume in MS Word to cooke@dyncorp.com ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 19:41:24 -0800 (PST) Subject: [none] ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V7 #210 ******************************** It's a great day for Taekwondo! Support the USTU by joining today. US Taekwondo Union, 1 Olympic Plaza, Ste 405, Colorado Spgs, CO 80909 719-578-4632 FAX 719-578-4642 ustutkd1@aol.com http://www.ustu.com To unsubscribe from the_dojang-digest send the command: unsubscribe the_dojang-digest -or- unsubscribe the_dojang-digest your.old@address in the BODY of an email (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. Copyright 1994-2000: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply.