Is Black Belt Next? Asked The Street Kid Tying His New Yellow Belt…

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Article Title:

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Is Black Belt Next? Asked The Street Kid Tying His New Yellow Belt…

Article Description:

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It had been a special summer program for kids just out

of juvenile hall, or expelled from district schools.

An experiment.

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563 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: Wed Nov 9 18:04:42 EST 2005

Written By: Mark Kennedy

Copyright: 2005

Contact Email: mailto:mark@...

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Is Black Belt Next? Asked The Street Kid Tying His New Yellow Belt…

Copyright © 2005 Mark Kennedy

Harmonious Warrior

http://www.harmoniouswarrior.com/

I managed to keep a straight face while replying, No, there are

a few colors in between. The naiveté amused me. Yet in fairness,

this group of 25 newly-minted yellow belts had been promoted in

record time-just six weeks. It had been a special summer program

for kids just out of juvenile hall, or expelled from district

schools. An experiment.

So, I could see how they might think the whole process would be

collapsed. On the other hand, I'd worked them two solid hours a

day, four days a week, hour-for-hour at least the equivalent of

a traditional program's three one-hour classes a week for 3-6

months. There was no gimme to it. This kid had conveniently

forgotten all the hard work they'd done, although some of the

kids around him-still sore, stiff, and blistered-burst into

laughter at his question.

Yet I sensed a dark side to this mirthful moment as we stood in

the afterglow of our hard-won achievement. Sure, on the surface

this student's comment appeared to be merely a neophyte's

inexperience. But 16 years of working with street-savvy kids kept

me from dismissing the pall which had fallen. What was it?

The unsettling feeling lasted a day or two before I could

articulate it. And it was this: there was a dangerous assumption

underlying the kid's basic outlook on life. Too often adolescents

who have been cut off for long periods from traditional routes to

success begin to look for shortcuts. They may feel like failures

in one or more areas of their lives: school, socially, sports,

dating, or maybe shame over their family or home situation. As

I thought it over, the conviction grew that this boy may have

actually believed there was an available shortcut. And that was

worrisome. Because I've found that the more kids find themselves

feeling on the outs from success, the more such shortcuts will

seem acceptable, even normal.

So what might I take from this episode to make me better at

working with and helping kids? I believe this street-wizened

teen learned that he would have to work for his martial arts

achievements-and maybe others as well-but also that he could be

successful by doing so. He didn't need a shortcut. He was

capable. And as simple as this sounds, there are many, many teens

out there who don't believe they are capable. They may appear

normal to adults, or even peers, but many teens feel a sense of

deep failure in one or more area of life. What a great challenge-

and opportunity-for those of us who work with them, whether in

the martial arts studio, the classroom, a church or civic

setting, or across the dinner table.

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Mark Kennedy, M.Ed., twice teacher of the year and nationally-

certified black belt instructor, is the author of two books

for teachers and parents: Lessons from the Hawk (how to ensure

learning for all) and Dance of the Dolphin (creating a learning

rich environment). To learn more about your own approach to

life and learning, take a free survey at

https://great-ideas.org/DolphinMaterials.htm (adults use the

LSOS, teacher version—there's a shorter one for kids, too).

Or for free articles, surefire ideas for reaching all kids,

and helpful links visit http://www.harmoniouswarrior.com

or contact mark@....