Two promoted to Teacher Trainer will assist Head of TCC

The T’ai Chi Chih community continues to grow and mature, and as Justin Stone has said innumerable times, we have a “brilliant future” ahead of us. There are now accredited teachers in 40 U.S. states, five Canadian provinces and nine other countries including our most recent addition from Mexico. The Edmonton, Alberta teachers have begun planning for the 2003 Teachers’ Conference, our first conference to be held outside the U.S., and as Justin’s teaching materials are being translated into multiple languages, the likelihood of a T’ai Chi Chih Teacher Training course outside North America appears closer than ever.

This international expansion represents an exciting time in our growth, and we will see tremendous opportunities for our community as well as numerous challenges. During the last several years, I’ve thought a great deal about how to accommodate the future growth of the T’ai Chi Chih community, and it is clear that one person cannot do it alone. One of the great strengths about T’ai Chi Chih is that we are a community of accredited teachers and students, and the value of our collective efforts is far greater than that of any individual.

It has always been my intention to serve the needs of T’ai Chi Chih while balancing those of my personal and professional life. I’ve had many discussions with Justin about this topic over the years, and we both feel that we must prepare for the future by bringing in additional experienced teachers to help with teacher accreditation and to assist me in shouldering the many responsibilities of leading the T’ai Chi Chih community.

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Sandy McAlister and Pam Towne have accepted my request to become T’ai Chi Chih Teacher Trainers. In my role as Head of T’ai Chi Chih, I will continue to conduct T’ai Chi Chih Teacher Training courses as well as teach related workshops, retreats and teacher renewals. However, these responsibilities will now be shared among the three of us to better serve the growing demands of our community.

In addition, Pam and Sandy will also assist me with many administration tasks such as dealing with those who are teaching without accreditation, addressing teacher candidate preparation, mentoring new teachers, and working with the accredited teaching community to deepen their practice and teaching. This change will also free up some of my time to pursue strategic relationships such as the Shepherd’s Centers of America, The Arthritis Foundation, and similar opportunities that will have positive effects on the entire T’ai Chi Chih community.

Pam was accredited in 1984, just a few months prior to when Sandy received her accreditation in early 1985, and both ladies have played important roles in the development of the T’ai Chi Chih teaching community. Sandy has sent numerous students through the teacher accreditation process, served as course host for many Teacher Training courses in the Bay Area, and also hosted four Teachers’ Conferences, including the most recent conference held in Moraga, California in 2001. Noel and I were two of Pam’s many students who became accredited to teach T’ai Chi Chih. She has also hosted numerous Teacher Training courses in Southern California and hosted the annual Teachers’ Conference one year in Northern California. She also taught her first T’ai Chi Chih Teacher Training course in 1997.

Although they were recently asked to “step up” to their new roles, these ladies have been working closely with me to prepare for this transition for the last two years. They were not asked to do this, but they chose to deepen their own practice and selflessly give something back to T’ai Chi Chih. Their commitment and sincere interest in improving their teaching have greatly impressed both Justin and me. During each of the last two years, Sandy and Pam have traveled across the country to audit one or more Teacher Training courses (for the entire week) and provide assistance to the many candidates who sought accreditation. At my urging, they’ve also taken on larger roles in their regions to foster a stronger sense of community, and we’ve shared many discussions about subjects affecting the health and future of the T’ai Chi Chih community. I’ve also had the benefit of their counsel and company during these times, and received their unyielding support and encouragement throughout the years.

Most important, in spite of their tremendous teaching experience, both Sandy and Pam have continued to improve their T’ai Chi Chih practice and assisted me in improving my own during the times we’ve spent together. We have had open discussions about principles and their application to the T’ai Chi Chih movements, and will continue to meet several times each year to refine our personal practice and ensure we are consistent in the way we teach the principles of T’ai Chi Chih.

During the recent T’ai Chi Chih Teachers’ Conference, I was approached by several groups of teachers about holding a teacher renewal or teacher/student retreat in their area. Pam and Sandy will begin leading some of those events in 2002. Donna McElhose is working to put together a Teacher Training course outside of Chicago, IL. To prepare for this event, I suggested — and Donna enthusiastically agreed — to bring Sandy out to lead a teacher / student workshop and to assist Donna in helping to prepare her teacher candidates. Similarly, Donnis Minx and Ann Daly have been working to put together a teacher / student workshop in Indianapolis, IN and Pam will be leading this event next year. In both cases, I would not have been able to lead these events, given the demands of my schedule and I’m grateful to Pam and Sandy. [See “Calendar of Events” on page 21 for details on both of these events].

Starting in 2003, Pam and Sandy will begin leading some of the T’ai Chi Chih Teacher Training courses, and my expectation is that their roles will expand further as the demand for such events continues to grow through the coming years.

Please join me in congratulating Sandy and Pam on their accomplishment, and in thanking them for their willingness to serve the T’ai Chi Chih community in this valuable way. I know we will all benefit from their contributions and tremendous teaching experience. I encourage you to regularly examine The Vital Force “Calendar of Events” for information about upcoming events, and invite you to join us in deepening our personal practice of T’ai Chi Chih, Joy Thru Movement.