How to Begin Teaching TCC Classes

Gail Terriff

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Beginnings are a hallmark when T’ai Chi Chih becomes a part of your life!

I still remember the peace that I felt in my very first class, doing the movements. How I wanted to copy my first teacher, Maxine Wan, whose movements were very smooth, wonderful to watch.

I had other beginnings with teachers Anthea Lee and Margo Carpenter. With Anthea, I realized I wanted to do the movements better and with Margo I realized I wanted to teach T’ai Chi Chih. Margo had a softness about her and her movements and I worked hard to get to that level. Carmen Brocklehurst and Pam Towne also helped. I attended retreats in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the more information that was shared with me, the better my movements became.

After the Teacher Training in Edmonton in September 2005, I was again beginning ⎯ now beginning to teach T’ai Chi Chih. I felt so happy inside that I could finally share with others what I had felt. My hope was to assist others in helping themselves on a journey to good health, wellness, peace and joy.

Beginning at the beginning

How does one begin such important work? I talked with my husband and family. I asked questions of everyone involved in T’ai Chi Chih, my Teacher Training classmates and more experienced teachers. Everyone was open and honest about his or her experiences. Thanks to all of youSandy, Jerry, Rita, Margo, Tamara, Yvette, Maureen and so many others.

I started slowly but with determination and love. New teachers may make mistakes, but that’s all right. It’s a learning experience.

The beauty of T’ai Chi Chih is that it really sells itself. When we share personal experiences, other people ask us to teach them the movements. We can also offer free demonstrations in offices and at shopping malls, in our homes and friends’ homes. It just seems to catch on.

Other teachers are a wonderful source of referral as well. If they aren’t offering a class at a certain time, they still try to make it happen and pass along another teacher’s name or the T’ai Chi Chih Web site address. The most important advice I can give is to value yourself and your expertise but remain flexible (like the bamboo) in making it work for yourself and people who want to learn.

Determining the details

It’s important to listen to your potential students’ needs. Do they want an eight-week class? Ten-week or twelve-week?A weekend workshop?‘Part A’ and ‘Part B’ workshops to divide up the 20 movements? Private or semi-private lessons? Classes once or twice a week?Daytime or evening? Is it a mixed-age group? Do students have special needs? Will they provide a space or must you find one?

Once you’ve identified the group’s needs, consider whether you’re able to satisfy them. Be sure a class fits you comfortably and, if necessary, negotiate with the group or the person, or you may not be a happy teacher.

Costs are important to consider as well. I believe we should value our service and our time. Consider our training and the costs we incur to gather information, books, videos, etc. Take into account the costs of putting on the class ⎯⎯ not just our time, but gas, parking, space rental fees, photocopying, advertising, business cards and brochures, music, possibly including a book or DVD with each person’s registration, a boom box, a bag to carry items, shoes, and clothing with the T’ai Chi Chih logo.

It’s important to be flexible. We might charge special-needs groups less but larger groups or companies more. We might volunteer for some groups, or hold a couples class or parent and child class where people can register 2-for-1. We also have to consider whether enough people will enroll to cover costs. Sometimes we may want to gather for a monthly practice and just request just a donation, for the teacher or for a charity.

Settling the specifics

I generally charge $90 for an eight-week class (no book or video included). I provide photocopies of the movements and other articles. If I paid no space rental fee, I would receive most of that $90 per student. If that were the case, I might offer a class for a smaller group, since my costs wouldn’t be so high, or I might reduce my fee. If I were paying high rent for the space, I might offer a class only when I had enough people to cover my costs.

When I’m hired by a hospital or organization that wants to pay a flat fee for an eight- or ten-week class, I judge the time involved and require a minimum or maximum number of students, considering the space. I have received anywhere from $240 to $360 for an eight-week class.

Reaping the rewards

I wish all new teachers a good experience in beginning their classes. You will learn a lot about yourself and other people. You can ask other teachers for advice; please feel free to contact me.

The love T’ai Chi Chih puts in my heart allows me to teach classes to everyone, young and old, able and not, rich and poor. I see the peace and joy that come over each and every person, and that is the ultimate reward.