Letter to Justin

August 15, 2002

Between the conception,
And the creation,
Between the emotion,
And the response,
Falls the Shadow – T.S. Eliot

Dear Justin,

The above poem, by T. S. Eliot, reflects the shadow of doubt I felt at the TCC conference in San Antonio this year.

You were missed at the conference this year. I thank you and Brock for making the video presentation, which everyone watched very intensely. Also, the copy of your speech that was made available to all attendees was very helpful.

Some of the issues expressed by teachers include:

• Ed is not following what you wish done for T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement
• Cost, in both time and money, came up a lot
• Candidates not getting accredited but teaching the TCC form anyway
• The two-signature idea
• That you do not want a two-phase accreditation
• Some do not seem to feel anything is wrong with the way things are now
• Others are worried that their students might get better training than they did, and come back and say so
• Integrity of T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement

Justin, I am not a fast on my feet thinker. So, talking with some teachers, and gathering less emotional responses than those presented at the conference, I have some thoughts that may not have been brought up then.

First issue: Ed following what you want. I trust that you and Ed have talked a great deal about the need for a change in the accreditation for TCC candidates. Ed has always expressed the deepest respect for you and for T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement. I know that Ed will lead the TCC community with the intention of the greatest good for T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement, always! He will do so even to the extent that it might be above his and Noel’s highest good. By choosing Ed to be the Head of the TCC Community, you knew he would be the best choice to lead the TCC community. In trusting your choice, Ed has my 100% support in doing what he finds necessary to preserve the integrity of the TCC accreditation process.

While you may support Ed, the discussions at the conference demonstrated serious divisions on what it is you wish. There was a large group that seemed to say Ed was going against your wishes. I hope that all instructors that love you and depend on your leadership will know that you support Ed in whatever he has to do for the integrity of T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement.

Second issue: Cost in Time and Money. Everyone agrees that the cost should be kept down, if possible. There is concern that two phases of training would increase the cost. We all agree that no one should make money on accreditation training. The facilities are often very [expensive], as is airfare. But, the cost to candidates has to cover the expenses for the accreditation training, unless we change the approach to our organization and fund training in some other way.

There are many ways of handling the cost to put on the teacher training, either a one-phase or two-phase program. But, the reality is that the cost of the TCC accreditation course is much less than other mind, body spirit disciplines charge for similar programs. And, no matter how low the cost, it will always be too expensive for some candidates. If they are sincere, I am sure a way would be found to assist them.

In my opinion, cost should not be the primary consideration in fixing the problems of accreditation. Some may say that higher cost will keep people from being accredited. I do not think that will happen. The rate of accrediting instructors may slow down for a time, but that may be a good thing: it would provide an opportunity to put a system in place to strengthen the core of teachers we already have. When more teachers understand how to teach and prepare new candidates, the TCC community will have a firm foundation on which to build the future.

Justin, I believe you have told Ed many times to have faith in how the Universe works, faith that what is needed will be provided. Maybe all the funding and scholarship ideas will help. But what about the value of individuals learning about, cultivating and manifesting their highest potential for themselves? I have the impression from your work that this is something we should make space for and allow to happen. So, perhaps we should allow the candidates to manifest from the Universe the time and money to become teachers.

Third issue: Teaching without accreditation. There are many people out there doing that already. Some seem to think they can change the names of the movements and say it is not T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement. In addition, there are some accredited instructors that are changing the basics of the TCC form and presenting T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement their way. So, it’s not just a matter of what non-accredited individuals might do. By exploring the Web, one can find TCC classes in various parts of the country, and the teacher’s names are not in the Teachers’ Directory. As for candidates doing this, I believe the number would be insignificant, especially compared to what’s going on now.

Fourth issue: The idea of requiring two teachers to sign for a candidate. The problem with this is the state of our current teachers. In Japan where this method is used, I suspect the Zen Masters have more training than the main body of our present teachers. As an auditor in a training course, I saw the struggle of some of the candidates, and asked them what did they do to prepare for training.

They had studied long with their instructors, and had studied your video and book. Then they paid a great deal of money to be checked by a long-time instructor. He said they were ready after watching them for a short time. Teachers who either do not understand how to do the TCC movements, or do not know how to evaluate others, misled them. They got the approval from more than two teachers and thought they were ready. They were so far from ready that they had to rethink everything they were doing. They were sincere and had the approval of two teachers. It failed them.

Until we address the issue of how current teachers understand and do the movements, and how they evaluate candidates, having more signatures will not solve the problem of proper candidate preparedness.

Fifth issue: The impression that you do not want a two-phase training program. Your address did not say you do not like the idea, just that you have concerns about the cost. People did not hear or read it this way. So a lot [of] stress came from people saying you are against a two-phase course.

Sixth issue: Some teachers think nothing is wrong with the present training. There is ample evidence that there is a problem. A case in point: I have been working on a checklist that incorporates the TCC web site checklist information. So to get feedback on the checklist, I showed it to several teachers at the conference. One statement—that the hands circle 1½ times in Bird Flaps Its Wings—caused quite a stir among some respected teachers who said that information was wrong. Some said it is 1 circle, others that it is 2½. Few knew the answer, even though the textbook clearly says it is 1½ circles. I believe this small problem is the tip of the iceberg and a symptom of the problem: our teachers are not on the same page with regard to correctly doing or teaching the movements.

Seventh issue: Some teachers are concerned that candidates will come back better prepared then they are. Recommending teachers who feel this way should attend the training course as well as the candidate. The results would be a strengthening of the teacher base.

Eighth issue: The integrity of T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement. The integrity of the teaching of the TCC discipline is important to the present and future of T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement. Too few instructors take the opportunity to renew and to audit teacher training courses or to attend workshops, even when they are in their home area.

For the continued growth of T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement, for the integrity of the practice, and for the integrity of the teacher training course we need to change how teachers are accredited, and we must improve our current teachers’ understanding of T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement. The TCC community will continue [to] grow, but we need to provide the training needed to carry T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement into the next century.

How to move is extremely important. Some teachers are stuck in beginner’s mode, and simply do not know how to move. After accreditation, many teachers never attend another workshop or training event—ever.

This places an incredible burden on the teacher accreditation process, as it is the only time anyone evaluates teachers. If there were mandatory renewal training every two to four years to keep accreditation, then many more teachers would renew their movements by auditing a training or workshop. But this is something almost impossible to do now.

Having two-phase training is a gift for the candidates. The first phase is for checking on movements and noting refinement needed. Then, candidates have time to practice the changes and information that Ed offers before they are given their accreditation in the second phase. This does not seem too much to ask, given that most will never renew their movements.

At the second phase, progress can be checked and the candidates also will be more relaxed and can enjoy the accreditation. The accreditation course is not a military school where one should be terrified throughout the training. I believe the two-phase accreditation would provide a stronger core of teachers, and I would want my students to go through that process.

Having two phases for students to work through their accreditation would give candidates an opportunity to have instruction at a higher level, and would allow time to learn the basics of how to teach others and how to evaluate their own candidates in the future. Currently, so much time must be spent on the beginner level issues for ill-prepared candidates, that Ed cannot spend time on the higher level of information.

It is time to ensure that the instructors that are accredited really know the movements and how to teach T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement. The more intense training should give the teachers more success in the their classes and more successful future candidates. This higher quality is our best chance to protect the integrity of the TCC discipline.

Last note: Some in our community are worried about creating different levels of teachers. Well, that exists right now. Those who pay the cost in time and money to attend workshops and teacher training courses are going to move better and be better teachers. There are teachers that have a great dedication to T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement and inner Teh. They refine and refine their movements and are the very core of the TCC community. They will be the ones to keep the integrity of the TCC discipline alive and well.

Justin if you feel this letter is of value, I would welcome your sharing it with the Vital Force so all teachers can see your comments. I welcome your comments also.

Sharing the Chi,

– Donna McElhose
Wildwood, IL