Moving On Up

sensei8 · KF Sensei

When is a young student, that's been disruptive in class, ready to move on up to one of the other children's classes??

For me there are three things to consider when making that type of decision.

1. The Student(s)
2. The Student Body
3. The school itself

For the sake of grins and giggles, let us look at this hypothetical situation.

A dojo has a few students that are in their Tiny Ninja Class for ages 4–5. In about 6 months, one of the students will turn 6 years old. This same student has gradually become a terror on two feet; seems quite bored. This student, despite the age, is more advanced in their Kihon that the other Tiny Ninja's.

For me, whenever a student(s) begins to disrupt the class, it's time to consider moving said student into the very next level of classes, permanently or temporarily. This has been my experience that whenever a young student starts becoming unruly in class, that same student CALMS down for several reasons in their brand-new surroundings fast.

Reason one, said student is no longer the highlight that they were once before. Reason two, said student is in a brand-new class environment with students that are older and more experienced. Reason three, said student is thrusted into a brand-new curriculum, and with an unfamiliar curriculum comes brand-new challenges.

Of the three, and they're all solid reasons, reason three provides an outlet that encapsulates that student's boredom which led to that student a disrupting behavior. Newer challenges will calm down the student because their concentration is geared towards new goals and opportunities that are all positive.

Don't get me wrong. Kids will be kids. Sometimes a kids temperament needs some rechanneling. Kind of an attitude adjustment.

Still, parent intervention must be paramount right out of the gate in order that the student, parent(s), and CI are all on the same positive path to a positive goal concerning all.

IF said student continues disrupting class, suspension will be in order. Student can return at the decided time but not before another meeting with the student and parent(s) whereas there'll be no ambiguity whatsoever should the student disruptive actions return, because at that point, expulsion for cause will occur.

Now the student has a positive direction. The Student Body can get back to serious training. The dojo can return to teaching...until the next fire has to be put out.

Imho.

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bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

Those are interesting observations, Bob. I think the conventional wisdom would be to not move such a student up, as it could be seen as rewarding the student for their behavior, when in fact it helps to curb the behavior. It's a very astute observation. Thank you for sharing this!
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aurik · KF Sempai

I've seen this very same behaviour with Zach. As he has grown and matured, he has found himself "aging out" of classes a bit early. For example, the beginner's class is generally from 10th kyu -> 8th kyu. One of the criteria for moving up is that he has to be able to perform Kanshu kata, and he started learning that at 8th kyu. We found that when he was workiing with older, more advanced students, he started listening better and paying more attention.

Fortunately, he won't "age out" of his current class anytime soon, since it is populated with brown belts/junior black belts. And as an advanced student, the CI doesn't hesitate to call him out on his stuff when he gets out of line.
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