1988 Teacher Conference Report

Nearly 60 T’ai Chi Chih teachers converged in Menlo Park CA on August 12-14 to meet, practice T’ai Chi Chih together, exchange news, talents, and ideas, and consider important issues in the growth and teaching of T’ai Chi Chih. The weather was cool and sunny, the grounds were as serene as ever, and the food was extraordinary as usual. The conference committee–Sandy McAlister, Liz Ruczynski-Salada, Lois Mahaney, Cheryl Hamblin, and others, did a great job in organizing and preparing for the conference. Thanks so much!!

A notebook that listed short “bio’s” of all who attended included any areas of specialty in teaching. A newly-updated teacher directory was given to all who attended. The directory has both alphabetical and geographical listings. (The directory is available from Satori Resources for $5.00.)

For those of you who could not attend, we have summarized some of the new ideas and discussions generated at the conference, which included the following:

Unaccredited T’ai Chi Chih Teachers

Some teachers have heard of or come into direct contact with non-certified T’ai Chi Chih instructors. When someone begins to teach T’ai Chi Chih who has not gone through the proper teacher training, initiation, and accreditation, that person is contra the essence of T’ai Chi Chih, which is TEH, or “inner sincerity.” Justin urged teachers to take responsibility for conveying the proper inner motivation to students, that “we must inculcate respect for the form through our example and our teaching.” Teachers who express and successfully teach respect for the form and for the teacher training process will tend not to have students who begin to teach prematurely and without accreditation. One action that can be taken is to contact the agency through which an unaccredited teacher is offering classes, and point up the fact that the person is uncertified to teach T’ai Chi Chih. A letter from your regional T’ai Chi Chih teacher’s association is another powerful way of pointing up the difference between an accredited and an unaccredited teacher to program directors. Another excellent suggestion was made during the teacher conference that we invite such teachers to attend a teacher accreditation course, giving them details about the Vital Force, upcoming teacher meetings, or teacher courses.

Universal T’ai Chi Chih Pamphlet or Flyer

An equal clamor arose in favor of a central pamphlet that presents the principles of T’ai Chi Chih, along with a logo, with a space for each teacher to stamp his or her own name, address, and telephone number. Justin inquired whether each teacher would be willing to contribute $5.00 toward the development and design and initial printing of such a brochure. No closure was reached on this issue, but the mood was favorable, and further comments/encouragement/discussion is welcomed.

The Fluttering of Fingers or Hands

We must take care that students understand that the fluttering of hands or fingers is not something they must imitate in order to do T’ai Chi Chih “the right way,” but rather is an effect of smoothly flowing Chi which MAY (or may not) develop spontaneously at some point after continued regular practice.

T’ai Chi Chih Classes for Special Groups

Several teachers spoke about their experiences or upcoming classes in specialized teaching situations. Some of them included:

Renee Wilson (Victoria BC)
teaching Multiple Sclerosis patients

Ed Altman (Long Beach CA)
teaching by referral from physical therapists

Hannah Hedrick (Chicago IL)
working with AIDS patients

Corinn Codye (Santa Barbara CA)
children’s classes (1st graders)

Tom Fernandez (Mendocino CA)
teaching in retirement communities

Sandy McAlister (Hayward CA)
teaching Vietnam Veterans

Welcome back, Valerie

Valerie Lawson-Smith treated us to stories of her experiences living and teaching during the past two years in Japan with husband Steven Smith and new baby daughter Simone. Valerie taught English and worked with sports teams in an experimental program at a small-town high school.

Universal T’ai Chi Chih Logo

Teachers spoke up asking for a T’ai Chi Chih logo that all accredited teachers can use. Since T’ai Chi Chih is growing rapidly, a universally-recognized symbol for the form would not only save each teacher from having to generate a personal logo for T’ai Chi Chih, but it would also contribute to the important distinction of being a certificated teacher. A logo-design contest was suggested, so please send your ideas to the Vital Force before December 31, 1988. Early next year we will publish the ideas we receive and take a vote from all teachers on the logo.

T’ai Chi Chih Teachers–Talents Unparalleled

The Saturday evening of Teacher Conference seems to develop naturally into lively entertainment. Lia Ridley not only danced, but drew everyone into the freeing (spiritual) experience that belly-dancing can be. Willy Juncosa (now conductor of Santa Cruz symphony orchestra) let his fiddle do the talking with everything from Hungarian Rhaphsodies to Orange Blossom Special. We heard Justin Stone’s two new piano solo music cassette tapes (bluesy/jazzy renditions of show tunes and original solos–“Retrospection” and “Memory of Tomorrow” are available from Amber Records. Tara Stiles, fresh from the outback bearing new Aussie music tapes, and Adele Wenig conspired successfully to “bring out the kid in everyone” in vigorous dance/game improvisations on Follow the Leader. Many other formidable talents, such as Valorie Taylor (Viti) whose cello was absent receiving a reconditioning, number in our ranks. Further evidence may be entirely unnecessary for the theory that T’ai Chi Chih enhances creativity.

Regarding T’ai Chi Chih “Drop-outs”

Justin challenged teachers to consider why certain teachers drop away from teaching T’ai Chi Chih after a certain period. The ensuing discussions crossed over into reasons why students as well as teachers fall away from the practice. It is apparent that the number of distractions, stimulations, and learning opportunities in our society certainly contributes to fickleness in students. But this question, as in the case of having students who might begin teaching T’ai Chi Chih without the benefit of certification, can also be viewed as a responsibility of teachers to motivate and inspire students and new teachers through our personal example and teaching. Two words emerged that characterized the bulk of discussion at the teacher conference: continuity and cohesiveness. The same continuity we speak of in “the way” we do the movements must naturally become part of the larger vision of T’ai Chi Chih as a continuity of practice and a continuity of communication. It was noted that students more certainly and faithfully incorporate T’ai Chi Chih as a self-discipline when given many opportunities to continue meeting and practicing as a class or with a group. Teachers all spoke of the effectiveness of holding continuing practice or intermediate classes for students. A few teachers hold warm, informal gatherings such as a potluck or class dinner to celebrate the “graduation” of their beginning T’ai Chi Chih classes. This encourages a community feeling, and most students want to continue meeting thereafter to practice. Often they seem to need the group in order to keep up their individual practice, at least for some period of time.

The same applies for many teachers, especially when newly-accredited. Regional teacher groups who meet regularly are an important source of inspiration and support for each other, and a powerful means of sharing the Chi that almost goes without saying. By the end of the teacher conference, dates had been set for regional teacher meetings in Albuquerque, Southern California, Northern California, and Victoria BC, and those teachers who live in more isolated parts of the country resonated with the desire to have more contact and practice time with peers.

Also, the trend toward more conscientious, thorough and challenging teacher preparation will probably result in more teachers who actively teach following accreditation. And the Vital Force is of course an important way to keep in contact and to make use of this paper by sharing our experiences is to foster the blossoming of T’ai Chi Chih.