ok, it's been a long time...again.

As a children's instructor there are days that I wonder why I am a children's instructor. Those are the days that I can't seem to get through to any of the kids or connect personally in any way, I'll struggle to keep the attention of the class- even a small group. I want to convey my love of kung fu to them- I want them to love it too. I want them to try hard and have goals that they work to succeed and feel the success of achieving a goal, and also to understand that failure doesn't mean you stop trying, it just means the eventual success is even sweeter. I want them to know that the best things in life are often the ones that are the hardest to get. But then I have days I can hardly keep all eyes up front, or so it seems. Of course there are the "on" days that I leave feeling like a million bucks because I saw the fire in someones eyes, or the class was engaged and attentive the whole time- lets face it that's practically a miracle in a class of close to 30 kids from 8-12 or so.
Yesterday in class I felt like it was one of the days that I was off. The kids all had pent up energy and it seemed to me that they were having a hard time focusing. Sifu Vantuil had them pair up and work on a form to perform by the end of the class. I was really surprised when we watched them perform. They were good, really, really good. I couldn't help smile. Even though there are off days these guys are getting really great and I forget to keep that in perspective sometimes. I am proud of each one of them. Being a kids instructor has challenges but it's so rewarding.
Here is a joke that the smallest Rice told me during class on Monday. She pulls her little orange belt up to her armpits and says "Sifu, look! I just got a higher belt!" I might have to use that one.