My First Teaching Experience

I love teaching T’ai Chi Chih (TCC). I recently completed teaching an 8-class beginner course. Here are some things that worked for me and some lessons learned.

Things that worked well:

• I was nervous about this first teaching experience. To help alleviate my nervousness, I prepared a class plan for each class including a time schedule. Then I kept my eye on the clock. It was a bit of overkill, but having a plan really helped me relax into the process.

• I partnered with Jim Eagle, an experienced teacher. Jim couldn’t attend the first few classes. Once he did join, we were able to break into two groups for some of the time to offer more personalized instruction. This was important because there were 14 students.

• As part of each class session, I offered the words of Justin Stone. Sometimes this was a reading, and other times I played audio or video. The students enjoyed this, and it also gave them a chance to sit for a moment and rest. In one class I used the “How To Move” deck of cards; each student picked a card and then read it to the class.

• I also ended each class session with a time for meditation. I thank Sandy and Pam for this. During the accreditation workshop, after each practice Sandy encouraged us to allow some time for silence and stillness — to recognize our feelings. Pam Towne does something similar during her Friday Zoom gatherings. I incorporated this into my classes, usually guiding with some breaths and some words from the Nei Kung. Students loved this part of the class — a time for stillness before jumping back to their cars.

Some lessons learned:

• I would have preferred a smaller class; 14 students was too many. The room was large enough, but it was hard to observe and offer corrections.

• I should have reserved more time for teaching Pully Taffy and its variations.

• There were two elderly students who had some difficulty standing and balancing. I encouraged them to stand next to a chair and to sit whenever they felt the need. In retrospect, I should have suggested that a standing class might not be appropriate. I think they felt a little out of place with the other students.

The beginner course has now morphed into a continuous weekly practice with some teaching. And Jim Eagle and I have arranged to teach a Seated Beginner’s Course.