staying extra late for extra training. only at the end did it occur to me that i didn’t even get a sip of water throughout the entire seven and a half hour shift. some kids are really a handful, but i’ll have to learn to deal with it so my assistants don’t get exposed. glad i got a chance to catch up with two of the originals of wu’s the held the reign with me. had some good talks and nostalgic moments
after a long taekwondo teaching shift, went out to have noodles with parents. it’s been a real busy and stressful term, sometimes i think the grandmaster is testing me and not my students given the scenarios i’m put in. i struggle to have set teaching staff all term. some students were preparing for tomorrow’s promotion test and some are training for master cup. it’ll be longer shifts for the next couple weeks until competition day
picked up my new belt with the forth stripe but looks like i’ll have to call in to ask about the quality and workmanship. the belt has a crooked joing in the middle as if two shorter stripes were haphazardly sewn together. also noticeable was the quality of the belts has gone down and they don’t feel as weighty as my previous one. i would feel stupid for wearing this that’s not up to par
killarney just got a lot way more stressful starting this term. i’ll be short my vice instructor because she got pulled back to teaching at main branch but i get no one in return; it’ll be just me, an instructor and assistant instructors. i’ll have to train up another vice instructor from scratch. until then, i’ll have to own everything and be prepared to take on anything that comes my way. that’s including preparations for promotion tests, comeptitions and demonstrations while juggling my staff’s limited availability. it’ll be hard to stay sane throughout this term, but i’ll stay positive and continue to believe in what i can offer
the killarney three musketeers made me a proud instructor today. they’ve grown into fine red-black belts. aside from these three, a lot of my students performed well and earned their stripes. they all worked very hard to pass my stage gate before they were allowed to test. first time i was given the pen to hand out promotion test marks. the grandmaster has spoken and basically informed me the date of my test – it’s coming up a lot sooner than i expected. i would’ve appreciated a longer notice. the pressure is on and i’m really starting to worry about my chosen breaking
i survived one of the busiest summer term in my years at killarney. taekwondo in general has taken a toll on me and given me a lot of pressure. past few weeks has been nothing but preparing my students for both the colour belt test and blackbelt test which takes place tomorrow and next sunday. i poured my heart and soul in preparing them, hoping that they can perform at their best. their test aside, i’m also thinking about a more daunting task and milestone for myself. a milestone that i do not feel prepared for because of the lack of guidance from the grandmaster. i know that i’ll have to gear down because the last thing i want is to disappoint
after long debate, this is the group i brought to walk with the dragon to represent the branch. it is also the first year that killarney students will have their own program separate from the main school. i opted to not wear my uniform to avoid the need to appear on stage. luckily for us, our grandmaster was out of town so we can run this show with a little less stress. it was more of an eye-opener for most as it’s their first time stepping on stage to do any taekwondo demonstration. proud of these kids for having the courage to do so and completing it
