Pass or Fail

koreantiger81 · Blue Belt

The most hardest thing about being an instructor for me is grading my students....I'm not the head master of my school, so I'm not responsible for belt-promotion tests. Our schools follows a 5 stripe system. I'm responsible for in class stripe tests...We do this every class..I dread making desisions on whether I should pass or fail a student for their stripe...I always do justify why he/she may have passed or failed and always offer encouragement...I'm known for failing everyone for their stripe tests...I have the reputation of being the "strict one" out of all the instructors in my school.Am I just unreasonabally picky?

KickChick · Black Belt

I think the most difficult thing in grading is to be consistent. You must hold the same standards for each student. If its 3 mistakes or 2 mistakes or whatever allowed on forms ... than that is it. You have to also consider the nervousness of the student. Many times during the course of the test I have seen graders take a student aside and tell them to "focus" remind them the importance of performing at 100% effort. Sometimes this is enough to "snap" them to attention.
Consistensy in your judgement is crucial ... if you feel you are strict, you may be .... but then your students are all the better because of that. Thing is not to be too strict whereby you begin to lose your students.

ramymensa · Black Belt

Grading is indeed difficult and I think this is where you can tell a good instructor from the others.
In my opinion grading is kind of a ceremony, because the real grading should be done the entire time. A good sensei would know if a certain student is good enough to "qualify" to the next level, if the guy came to train, struggled to learn and achieved the knowledge necessary to grade.
The day of the exam should be indeed important, but the instructor should have made his opinion about everyone. To grade somebody only taking into consideration the exam could be a little "shallow". Maybe the guy is in a good form, but he really wouldn't deserve the "merit", while another could be in a bad day, though he is quite proficient.
Well it happend to me ... had problema with both legs (some strained muscles) and still decided to come to the exam. I thought I should try at least, although the pain was serious. I've damaged one leg at the las training session, prior to the test and the second in the "big day".
I performed OK, dodn't make mistakes, but I couldn't move as fast and powerful as I used to. Still I graded, because I was Ok at the exam, but I trained very hard all the time. Guess it counts ...
Sensei still doesn't know I had those problems

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World Shotokan Karate

G95champ · Black Belt

Yeah I hate breaking the bad news to them as well. However it must be done. I live by the saying if you never loose you don't know whats its like to win. I have learnd so much more from a loos than I ever have after winning.

The one thing that I always think about when I am having to fail that person. I say to myself do I want them living and thinking theya re better than what they are. That sends out a bad image on them, on me, on my style, on my teachers and my other studnents. We have guidelines we must hold up or the rank we wear and out teachers wore mean nothing.
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(General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."

monkeygirl · KF VIP

Everyone else has made good points so I won't touch on that part of it.
However, if you feel you are much more strict than the other instructors, maybe even strict to a fault, then you need to observe your instructor. What is his/her policy for passing/failing students? You may have your own opinions, but remember that you need to be consisten with your instructors' goals and standards, not just your own.
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1st dan & Asst. Instructor TKD 2000-2003

No matter the tune...if you can rock it, rock it hard.

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