Expectations for Volunteers

E-Karate is a major commitment. We expect all volunteers to attend class every week for the entire 11-week quarter. Obviously, some things occur which prevent class attendance, but please try to avoid these events. If you do need to miss class, please try to coordinate with the other volunteers and the lead instructor to minimize the impact on the class (i.e. make sure that other coaches are not planning on being gone on the same weekend!). Please show up to class a half hour early in order to help set up the room, change clothes, and stretch out, etc. before the students arrive. We will also be having a short teacher meeting before every class. This is a time to plan out the class and make sure that each teacher is prepared to give their best for the class. E-Karate is in many ways similar to a family, and we work to mold each other's characters as much as we would for every student. We encourage you to build a relationship with the student and their parents.

In E-Karate we teach students respect and self-control. We must, therefore, remember to practice these same qualities ourselves. Since our coaches and instructors come from many martial arts backgrounds, there is much that we can teach and learn from one another. We must be careful, though, that we are unified and don't confuse the children. We should strive to all teach techniques, forms, and other skills the same. If a question arises, we should quietly ask the Lead Instructor of the class for direction. We must be respectful towards each other at all times so the students learn to respect the instructors and each other. This includes paying attention to the instructors and not distracting the class. We can spend extra time after class for sparring and other training, but during class our attention should be focused on the students.

Finally, the safety of the students is always our most important consideration. We need to keep this in mind at all times. There may be students who need physical support or prompting when learning new techniques. Other students may need to omit certain activities to prevent neck injuries, such as somersaults, if the parent or teacher is concerned about their child's capability to safely perform such activities. Also, some students may need extra attention to ensure they do not hurt themselves or others. As teachers, it is our responsibility to closely monitor these situations to ensure every student is safe. We should not teach or even demonstrate techniques to children that are beyond their current skill levels. The lead instructor is the final judge on what is appropriate and safe for a child to learn.

Thank you all very much for your commitment to the children and to E-Karate.

Ossu!

Our program has been running since December 2000, and we now have classes in three counties (San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda).