First Seido karate class in over a year (boy did I miss them!) with our students from YAI. They may have learning disabilities but they have so many other admirable & enviable abilities, like their enthusiasm for karate & love & support for each other. I thought they would have forgotten everything (like we black belts) but they did great.
YAI has moved. Here we are in our big new digs, with our biggest class in a while, as 2 of our students who took a semester off to do golf are back, and someone else switched over from the Tuesday class. The best hour of my week is the time I spend with these students. They have so many challenges, intellectual & physical, & they work so hard. It's an honor—& fun!—to spend time with them.
So happy that many of our YAI students participated in the interdojo karate tournament. They love being part of Seido, & I'm always cheered (& relieved) that they are welcomed so warmly. I worry that the regular students—many of whom have physical and mental issues of their own, I know—don't appreciate how hard these guys struggle to learn, retain & practice their material. They have class at best 2 times a week, which is tough enough. That plus all the challenges they face daily, such as just getting around. By far the most rewarding thing I do is spend an hour a week with them as an assistant teacher in the karate program at YAI.
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