The following is another couple of photos in the series of photos that Sensei Dan Newcombe, founder of Self Defence Central Dojo and Tsutsumi Hozan Ryu International, generously contributed to this blog for those interested in the Jan de Jong story.
If I remember correctly, the front row from right to left is, Jan de Jong, Dan's father, and Dan's uncle. I could be wrong (not about JDJ of course) and I expect Dan to correct me if I am. Can anyone identify any of the students in the back line? You will of course notice that the badges on the uniforms are not so uniform.
The photo was taken at the Swan River Rowing Club dojo so the photo was taken mid to late 1950s.
Tori in the above photo is Dan's father from the previous photo and uke is a teenage Margaret Kellond who would go on to become Margaret de Jong.
When I look at that photo, I see a kid executing a good throw on an older and larger opponent. This reminded me of an issue we had at the Jan de Jong Self Defence School. How do you retain advanced adolescent students?
I remember training in Saturday afternoon classes under Sensei Peter Clarke and one of the advanced students was a young lad that resembles Dan's father above. He was orange belt as we all were but he was half our size and a lot younger. His straight punch would hit me, literally, just above my groin he was that short. He ended up leaving the club after becoming frustrated training with adults.
How does an advanced adolescent student continue to advance? Or is it expected that they 'stay put' until their bodies catch up with their advanced grading standing?
I know some schools have a 'kids' system even right up to black belt, but is that the way? Only those in that school would understand a junior black belt is different to a senior black belt.
I taught the only teenager's class in the JDJSDS. It was conducted late on Saturday mornings and had the most consistent and longest serving body of students in the school. They were all small teenagers, male and female (in truth the females were better technically and in terms of fighting attitude), and all were advancing. I didn't just teach them, I trained them. We had good teachers in the school but very few who could train students. The last grading I trained them for, as a class, was blue or green belt. Unheard of in the school, the entire class graded together and excelled together. Jan de Jong was mightly impressed.
I then had to have surgery on both shoulders, separately because I agreed with the surgeon that I did not have any friends who would be prepared to wipe my backside after going to the toilet if I had both shoulders operated on at the same time. Maggie de Jong disbanded the class. Her reasoning was that at that level they should be training in the advanced adult classes ... but their bodies were not ready for it. They would have to have made adjustments to most if not all techniques if they were to train with adults. Within three months, none of the students remained with the school.
It is a dilemma. How do you retain advanced adolescent students?
How do you retain advanced adolescents?
ReplyDeleteBy meeting their developmental needs.
I was one of the students in your teenager class. It was a wonderful experience and one that is still treasured and grieved. I am now a qualified teacher of adolescents and have studied adolescent development.
Adolescents (12-18) are in what Maria Montessori called the ‘third phase of development’. It’s a period of intense transformation and one that needs to be handled sensitively, with consideration paid to its particular needs. Some of the key focus areas for adolescent development: peers, justice, their place in society. On the last point, belonging is a core need for all of us, at all stages, but it’s particularly important to adolescents, who are taking their first steps in adult society and working out how they can fit into this new setting. As a result, the adolescent’s relationship with adults is very important (both for a sense of belonging and value and for a model of how to be an adult).
The teenager class met these needs:
• It was a space for us – belonging and a sense that we were valued enough to be given a place.
• It was a space where we were with peers – social interaction.
• It set us up to succeed, not to fail – justice in action.
• Our instructor built a strong and appropriate rapport with us (not a quasi-parental relationship nor a friendship) – relationship with adult.
For myself, I adored the school. I attended many other classes to develop my skills further, including adult classes. None of the other classes ever felt like my class in the way the teenager class did. I learned from them and enjoyed them, but always saw them as extras. In the adult classes, I didn’t see the other students as peers to build social relationships with, nor did they see me in that way (nor should they have!). I didn’t have a personal rapport with the instructor. I didn’t feel a sense of belonging in those classes; I only ever felt like a guest.
To retain adolescents, give them a place they can belong and succeed, one with peers and a supportive adult.
That is an amazing comment, however, if it is from who I suspect is from, I'm not surprised. From the sound of it, I got it more right than wrong, for which I am grateful. That teenage class was an amazing class, with amazing adolescent individuals, and it was enjoyable. It also was the class with the highest retention rate than any class in the JDJSDS.
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