Do you have a degree in child psychology? I wish I had a dollar for every time I was asked that question - well, okay, with inflation, maybe ten dollars. The best answer I can give is that I try to give to kids - on every level - all of the things that I wanted when I was growing up. I wanted it all; compassion, inspiration, understanding, affection, guidance, praise, stimulation, knowledge, and of course, fun! Most of these attributes were hard to come by in my childhood. As an adult, I sought out an art form from which to learn mind, body, and spirit balance, and discover how to give and receive all of these attributes. I took my first martial arts class in 1984 and realized I had found my road home. When I started teaching karate to kids, I was studying under Sensei Emil Farkas. Though I wasn't a black belt yet, I had a natural affinity for teaching children and the classes quickly grew. At first, I taught in the way that I was being trained - very traditional and old school. Though this method worked well for me, it was definitely not working for the kids. I began to test the waters. If a child looked away from me when I was teaching, I knew this was sign. I would immediately ask him what he was thinking. Usually, he would respond with something like, "Nothing, Sensei." But I could see he was not having a good time. He was probably there because I was warm and caring with him, but my teaching method was neither inspirational nor fun. So, I decided to try something new. Whenever I saw that "bored" look, I would stop what I was doing and ask, "who wants to have fun?" Of course, all the kids would light up and say, "me!" I knew they needed to learn their basics, but as a teacher I really wanted to inspire my students. They certainly weren't going to be inspired if they were bored. So, I kept asking the kids what they wanted to do. Answers like, "let's have a contest" or "let's have a race," kept popping up. I listened to their requests and of course my classes became more and more popular. But something was bothering me. I was still feeling discontent. Everything looked successful from the outside, but it really wasn't. I thought about why I was drawn to the martial arts in the first place; I wanted to learn about myself; about balance of mind, body, and spirit and grab hold of life in all its intricate layers. A personal mission was brewing inside me: I wanted to teach kids everything that I wanted to learn when I was growing up. But how? Sitting down for some quiet reflection, I started thinking about the responsibility of being a teacher. I remembered how I had been traumatized by my kindergarten teacher when I was only five years old. She held up my paper in front of the entire class as an example of how not to color. I was already shy, but this experience made me want to disappear. Having remembered that episode, I decided that my first priority as a teacher would be to always make a correction using positive language and to let children know that mistakes were a good thing. Mistakes are how we learn and get better. Then, I reflected back to when I was ten years old. That was the age I wanted to become really good at something - anything - but my family moved around so much, sometimes twice a year, so I never had the opportunity to learn about commitment or goal setting. With that thought, I decided the next thing I would do for my students would be to teach them the value and joy of accomplishing a goal. I would praise their efforts to succeed every chance I had. My final reflection took me to age fifteen where I ached for a Wise One to show me the way; the way through the bigger picture of life that was beyond washing dishes and making beds. I longed for philosophy and spiritual guidance so I could blossom into a young adult with some sense of worldly understanding. With that thought, I made a final pledge to myself and realized I had discovered my center. I would be a role model for compassion and inspiration, understanding and affection. I would give guidance and praise, and stimulate my students with knowledge. And, most of all, through the art that made my life great I would make tradition fun!