Readers Respond (January 2003)

My thought about the referral / reviewing by teachers who are asked to examine the video or whatever is that they should be honored to do the job, without financial reward. To be entrusted to pass the judgement on student candidates is an honor!

– Vida Wackerling
Evanston, IL

T’ai Chi Chih Teacher Training Options

I have been reading the ideas as they appear in the Vital Force for changing TCC Teacher accreditation. They are all good ideas. I have thought about it a lot and below is what I feel would work..

Currently a student takes a beginner T’ai Chi Chih class, must practice at least two years and be sponsored by an accredited TCC Teacher to be accepted for the TCC Teacher training.

I would like to see the change go first to the training. I think after a student completes a beginner class and practices for one year, they should then be required to take, and pass, an intermediate class, practice another year and then work with a TCC Teacher to be sponsored for teacher training. I know a lot of teachers offer intermediate classes. Many of their class teachings were published in one of the Vital Force publications, and it appeared to me they vary quite a bit.

In order for this idea to work, I think there should be another level of training for certified TCC teachers. Only those teachers who pass a class on how to teach an intermediate TCC class could conduct intermediate TCC classes for students. This puts the responsibility for time and expense on the accredited teachers, not the new students. It also ups the bar for teachers. Not everyone who is an accredited teacher takes advantage of the many workshops and training offered throughout the year. This way, they would be required to continue their TCC education and training and benefit from it as well.

– Patricia Strand
Sumner, WA

* * *

Dear Ed,

I have been thinking about the issue of student preparedness for accreditation.

For me the solution is simple. No teacher can put a student forward for accreditation no matter how good they may be, unless that teacher attends yearly conferences or attends advanced trainings with you, Sandy or Pam. If such a teacher is not actively upgrading their form, they forfeit the right to put students forward for accreditation. A serious student who wants to become accredited must therefore change teachers, find a teacher who is active — that is, attending yearly conferences and advanced trainings. Then it is the second teacher that puts the student forward for accreditation. The student must have taken weekly lessons for at least six months with the second teacher, (no matter how long she/he has been learning with the previous teacher) before being considered for accreditation.

This puts the onus on the teacher to be clear from the start what their intentions are in terms of the kind of practice they want, the student population they wish to attract and whether they are teaching with the intention of producing future teachers, and if so then they need to keep improving their form. This sends a clear message to their students. They know what is expected of them if they are interested in becoming a teacher.

In any other field of endeavor, if you want to succeed, strive for excellence, you find the best teacher and you find ways of improving your form through extra classes, workshops, etc. Why should the T’ai Chi Chih form be any different? Very sincerely yours,

– Trisha Jewellen Hargaden
New York City, NY