The Next Frontier: A Page For Distance Learners Facebook.com/TaiChiChihDistanceLearning

Numerous TCC students have no accredited teacher nearby. It used to be that they purchased the Photo Textbook and one of Justin’s DVDs and practiced on their own until they could attend a workshop, Intensive or accreditation. (That is how I learned TCC when I lived in Boston where there were no teachers. I practiced with Justin’s and Carmen Brocklehursts’ DVDs and flew to Albuquerque to practice with them whenever possible over many years.) Now there are digital and Internet resources for those without a teacher: an official TCC website with a calendar of TCC-related events; Youtube videos of Justin and many accredited TCC teachers demonstrating the movements; and numerous local community Facebook pages. A couple of years ago I realized that we could also use Facebook to connect isolated students with accredited teachers who could provide instruction via the Internet.

TCC Teacher Deanna Rausch shared my vision and together we organized this page and encouraged other teachers to sign on to provide instruction to far away students. All accredited teachers are invited to contact me to get listed. What differentiates this page from the others? It provides a place where long distance, student-teacher relationships can grow. It provides a refuge for beginners (who have gone as far as they can go watching videos on their own), long-time students (looking to hone their skills), and teacher candidates (in need of a second signature mentor to help them prepare for accreditation). The page remains a work in progress; we appreciate feedback from students and teachers who use the page.