First: no class on Halloween, current students! It's really asking a lot of our little ones to come to karate at prime trick-or-treating time, so our usual Thursday class in Merrimack will not meet this week. See you next Tuesday, or Saturday in Nashua!
Classes at the Independent Karate School typically have a fairly broad age range, starting with five- and six-year-olds and ranging up to teenagers who are preparing for the black belt test. Tweens and younger teens being who they are, they sometimes need to be sat upon a little bit, if their spirits are running high and they start to get a little silly. Our headmaster had to do some of that this week. He did so in part by reminding the older students that the younger ones look up to them, and do what they do.
This tendency to admire and imitate on the part of our younger students is actually very helpful most of the time. If you think of how little children regard older cousins, or teenagers who babysit for them, you know that those relationships can be very powerful. At Independent Karate School classes, we normally have teenage black belts assisting the head instructor. The smaller kids are often rather starstruck by these assistant teachers, and watch them very carefully, which is a good way to learn.
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Fortunately, teenagers who have been through the process of becoming IKS black belts are a pretty nice bunch, good at the martial arts but also kind and responsible. They sometimes feel the pressure of providing a good example for everyone, but in general, I think it does them good, too.
Want to see this process in action? Feel free to visit any scheduled Independent Karate School class! Classes are normally held in Merrimack every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm, at the VFW post near the Common Man (just not this Thursday!). A safe Halloween to everyone and hope to see you soon!
