As an instructor, you are an official representative of Grand Master Choi and Choi Kwang-Do. Therefore, your general appearance, attitude, ability to follow the chain of command, non-favoritism, personal attention, and work ethic must at all times reflect professionalism. Below are some guidelines to follow in order to project a professional Choi Kwang-Do Instructor image.
You should wear your hair neatly and need to practice good personal hygiene. Your uniform should be clean, well pressed, and have the proper patches sewn on. The Assistant Instructor and Instructor patches are worn horizontally under the Choi Kwang-Do patch. Sleeves should go to the wrists and pant legs should be hemmed to the ankles. Under no circumstances should you roll-up your sleeves or pant legs or alter your uniform in any way.
Arrive with a smile, positive attitude, and lots of energy. Your speech should center itself on the higher development of the art and the Choi Kwang-Do Pledge and Tenets. You should leave personal problems, social endeavors, religion, politics, and personal biases out of the Dojang. If you have had a bad day, leave it “outside”. In addition, instructors are never to indulge in negative talk about students, instructors, the art, or the organization to other students or instructors. To do so may result in reprimand or the suspension and/or expulsion of your Instructor status. If you have problems or aren't happy about something, you may discuss the matter with your Chief Instructor in private. Remember that loyalty and professionalism go together!
Always follow the command of the instructor in charge. In the event of a problem or technical discrepancy, you should quietly discuss the issue with other instructors at a later time or with the Chief Instructor in the office. Instructors must never argue in front of students or embarrass another instructor in front of the students. Always remember, instructors are like an elite team and should work to maintain close brother and sister relationships with each other.
Many of your students, both children and adults, will naturally want to become close friends with you. In one way this is good because it's ideal that students and instructors have a close junior/senior family like relationship. On the other hand, getting too close to students and/or parents could project an unprofessional image to the other students. For example, jealousy can arise if a student perceives that you are giving more attention to a student they know to be a close friend of yours, whether you are actually showing favoritism towards them or not. Conversely, this same student may feel they are being "picked on" if you correct their movement, and not your friends or vice-versa. As an Assistant Instructor, you should strive to be friendly, yet professional, with all students and parents, and be careful not to show favoritism. In general, try to avoid any relationship which might compromise your and/or the school's professional image.
Choi Kwang-Do Martial Art International recommends that all instructors refrain from dating or becoming involved with students. This goes back to the professional image that all of our schools need to have to be successful. A relationship between an instructor and student in the dojang compromises this image. School owners and Chief Instructors face many potential liabilities when their instructors start dating students. While the relationship is doing well, there may be some issues with favoritism or with students perceiving favoritism toward the student involved in the relationship. In addition, more problems and liabilities arise when the relationship starts to experience some difficulties. The student involved in the troubled relationship may cause scenes in the dojang, tell other students or parents about the problems, talk negatively about the school, or may quit training altogether. Unfortunately, other students and parents may side with the student, spread rumors through out the school and the community, and could result in them choosing to quit their training as well.
As you know, many people start training in Choi Kwang-Do through word of mouth or because they already have a friend that is training. Consequently, a student who has negative things to say about school can use word of mouth to spread rumors about the instructor they have been dating. Regardless of the circumstances, from the outside perspective it may appear that Choi Kwang-Do Instructors are known for “hitting on” students, dating students, or engaging in inappropriate behavior. For all of the reasons indicated above, we highly recommend that all instructors refrain from dating students.
Keeping this in mind, Choi Kwang-Do Martial Art International also realizes that people interface and meet other people directly through Choi Kwang-Do. We cannot deny that there is a possibility that an instructor may become involved with a student. If a relationship does develop between an Instructor and Student, then it must stay out of the school at all times – no exceptions. It is recommended that the student train during a different class than the instructor or at another dojang altogether in order to insure against such issues. The bottom line is that there must not be any public display of affection or inappropriate behavior of any kind in the school and/or dojang. Please consult your Chief Instructor in order to find out what the official policy is for your school.
You should make it a point to get to know all of the students by name, particularly newer students, and the names of Junior student's parents. Go out of your way before and after class to be friendly and greet new students and parents. In addition, try to befriend the less talented or shy students and be their "champion". Always show patience and sincere concern when working and talking with them and never "let them down" by ignoring or being short with them.
Finally, frequently discuss the progress of junior students with their parents (keep it light and upbeat) or just say hello and make them feel welcome. In general, show your students and their parents that you genuinely care about how they are doing.
While in the Dojang, keep your attention focused on the students and instructor in charge at all times. If you happen to arrive early and you see that an instructor is short handed, then jump in and help them out. In general, be aware of what is going on in class and help out wherever you can. Between classes or during periods of inactivity, try to find something constructive to do. This can be in the form of helping the students, improving your teaching abilities, or performing some task that helps promote or benefit your school. Finally, if your school has meal breaks, then they are to be taken only during designated times and all food and drink must be taken to proper areas, never in the Dojang.
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