I have struggled to be a good student. I am assisting my current teacher now, and at the same time learning how to be a good teacher. This made me realise that being a good student is more difficult than I thought!
Let’s see what a teacher has to go through for a typical class (of more than 1 student)
1. Arrive early before class
2. Teach students, and not student
3. Show, repeatedly
4. Test, repeatedly
5. Repeat 1 to 4 for the next class
A teacher has to arrive early to avoid any unforeseen delays that could potentially hold up a class e.g. traffic jam, long queue at the bank, baby doesn’t want to sleep, class room not available, bad weather etc. The teacher just cannot be late. Otherwise, the class doesn’t start.
A teacher has to teach all students, and not just one student. Even though the correction may appear to be correcting one student, the teaching has to be shown to all so that no one is left out, and the one being corrected doesn’t feel too incompetent.
A teacher has to show repeatedly, and make sure the student learns how to observe. The student will also need to be tested repeatedly, to make sure the student understands the movement. The understanding, however, needs to be up to the level of comprehension that the student can reasonably accept at that time. No more, no less.
And finally, the teacher has to prepare for the next class and repeat the first 4 steps.
Now, when being a student, it seems only reasonable for us to arrive early as well, to avoid unforeseen delays that could mean that you miss part of the class. You have made a promise to yourself to attend the class for 1 hour for the next 10 weeks. Might as well make the most of it. If you do need to miss a class, please call the teacher to let him know so that you don’t end up like me.
When a teacher is correcting someone, don’t assume that you know the correction already and that the teaching doesn’t apply to you. There are so many things to learn, especially from the basic moves. You will be really ignorant if you think you are superior to another student.
When a teacher is showing a move, observe observe observe. Look everywhere. Look at a specific action. Look at the whole action sequence. Look at the eyes. Look at the neck. Look at the legs. Look at the posture. Look at the quality. Don’t just stand there and admire. Look intently.
If you do get corrected in a group class, do not resist the correction. Ignore the eyes of the other students and listen closely to what the teacher is saying. Correct as much as you can. Make a mental note of the others that you can’t correct there, and use that as your reference every time you practise. You don’t need to stand corrected there and then. There is a time and place for everything. The classroom may not be the place.
As you leave the class, do remember to prepare for the next class as well. Practise practise practise. 
If you think this is worth sharing, do share it with your friends. Thank you for reading.
Related posts:
2 Trackbacks
[...] read Shang Lee’s post on being a learning to be a better student through teaching, superb advice: “When a teacher [...]
[...] for us to put a definition on someone or something. You may be an artist, a writer, a teacher, a student, a philosopher, a mother, a Christian, a Jew, a spoilt brat, a conformer, a Tai Chi master… [...]