Two weeks ago I had the pleasure to watch three of our intermediate students test into their new belts. This was a very good moment for our school because these three students showed us that the standards we set for these students could be met and even surpassed! If you ask any three of them, I am sure none of them will tell you that they got where they are now with only minimal work or purely by themselves. Each of these students worked very hard to get where they are at now and it showed. We (as instructors) are very careful not to call it a test because no single day effort can determine whether or not someone earns a belt. Every day you must continue to earn the belt you wear across your waist.
Each student had strengths and weaknesses in certain areas that the others did not but together they all pulled through and had one amazing show. More importantly they did everything we asked of them, without hesitation or questioning. This amount of trust from these students, and more importantly from their families, was the single most important contributing factor for their positive growth. If their families and themselves did not believe that they could get where we wanted them to be, none of this would be possible.
I’ve been told I seldom give out complements, but for that day, I was smiling even before the test had begun for I had already known that these three students already had earned their new belt. We are proud of all our students but we are very proud of these three young ladies for believing in us, their fellow students and themselves.
Mr. Doug