A Teacher Training Diary: The Agony and the Ecstasy

Teacher’s Accreditation, June 23rd – June 28th, 1997, led by my own personal teacher, Pam Towne, in her home in Camarillo, CA.

Monday night: Met a couple of other lady teacher aspirants. The other two with whom I had taken the teacher’s prep were there also, making five altogether. All yin, no yang, but a nice intimate group anyway! Pam explained how the week was going to progress, with Corine Reeber and Ed and Noel Altman joining us later. This is going to be great, just like I had been told!

Tuesday Morning: T’ai Chi Chih practice with some refinement. (Why wasn’t my body cooperating?!) Afternoon on our own to do our homework . . . rereading certain parts of the T’ai Chi Chih manual. Evening, Corine joins us with more teaching from Pam. The evening ends with another T’ai Chi Chih practice. (Why do I feel like I’ve never done this before?!) O.K. so far.

Wednesday: Met for lunch with the two out-of-towners, Joanne Jaramillo of Whittier, CA and Mary Taylor of Stillwater, MN. What super friends I have made! During the day, a little more reading. Evening. Pam Gives a Presentation Demonstration, then more T’ai Chi Chih refinements with Corine pointing out things I had never noticed before. (Why wasn’t my brain engaged?! I know this stuff, this isn’t anything new.)

Thursday: All day is concentrated on PRESENTATION! Then evening, I got my wish to go first, but proceeded to blow it! My fellow teacher prep students, Barbara Kronewitter and Linda Williams did outstanding jobs! T’ai Chi Chih practice followed with, guess what? More refinements! (Whatever gave me the idea that I could be a T’ai Chi Chih teacher? Who Did I think I was, anyway? This thing is much deeper, more intense, more greater, more spiritual ….. I’m calling Pam first thing in the morning to apologize for embarrassing and letting her down, and that I am no longer pursuing teacher accreditation, knowing I won’t pass anyway.)

Friday: (NO, dogone it! I’ve worked too hard and have come too far to quit now! I’ve cried it all out, berated myself all night, so what do I have left to lose?) Ed and Noel join us and I am pleasantly surprised to learn that they aren’t strict disciplinarians wearing flowing robes. Joanne and Mary give excellent presentations, and then more sharing from Pam, Corine, Ed and Noel. We finalize with T’ai Chi Chih. (Body, brain and spirit just barely there.)

Saturday: D-day! I un-invite my husband to come for Accreditation unless he wants to be there to console me in my agony.) The morning is spent going over the business aspects of being a TCC teacher. Lunch being a little late, my husband and just-graduated-from-college son, join us. We all get better acquainted and more guests arrive. When we all reconvene, dread is weighing heavily in my heart . . . . just wanting to get this over with. And while I ready my camera, Pam announces with congratulations, that there are five new T’ai Chi Chih teachers. As I unbelievingly look at her, guess whose name she call first …… ?

Ecstatically yours,

– Sher Dano
Newly accredited T’ai Chi Chih teacher