So, as a mom and a teacher, I know that everything is a learning experience. I guess that includes blogging! One of my biggest challenges I find is that on one hand, nothing scares me, on the other, I get terrified as soon as I say "Yeah! Let's do this!" Today I am in the TERRIFIED zone.
What do I mean? Well, today is Tuesday and tomorrow I am supposed to teach the third Self Defense class in a series of 5 2 hour classes. The group is wonderful! They are apporximately 15 adults, men and women, who have differeing degrees of cerebral palsy and other disabilities that have left them wheelchair bound and aside from 2 who are able to walk, each of the wheelchairs also have different abilities!
So far, the first 2 classes have been fine. Now I need to think about what to teach for the next class. Most of the students have the use of their voice. Others don't. Some have the use of their hands, even in a litmited amount. One of them doesn't. All of them have the desire to learn.
So why am I terrified? It is because of this one woman. I feel the need to give her a tool and all of the experience that I have had in my life just leaves me staring at an empty blank. To a woman who is completely dependant on those around her, what self defense tools can I give her????
And she is bright! She knows that she presents me with the ultimate challenge and as my friend (we have known each other for almost 25 years, since she was 5 but that is another story) she is not going to back down. "Yudit, what can you teach me to feel safe! What can you teach me to protect myself?"
So while I stare blankly at all I have ever learned.....
and so I stared and deliberated....and since writing that two weeks have passed....and we just had our graduation as part of class number five.
I can't even begin to tell you how super proud I am of everyone in the class. We reviewed using our voice. We reviewed the strikes, pinches and biting that we learned (yes, I have the black and blue marks to prove that they are fierce!) Then I decided to show off a bit. The staff member of their group who initiated the course is a Judo student of mine. She threw on her Judogi and we put some mats down and I showed everyone how I can throw her around. One of the guys had learned a bit of Judo and challenged me. So we helped him down from his wheelchair and he grappled with me. And then another want to try... and another... and another...next thing I knew I was pairing people off and refereeing and coaching a Judo class. Never in my life did I think that our simple self defense class would turn into this.
and then she asked.... this one woman who terrified me the most, just because of my inability to see how I can be of any help to her, asked if she could try Judo too.
We decided that it was time to end the class and that it was a little too much to handle to do more than we had, but you know what? She is going to come to Judo class. And you know what else? Whatever she can do to improve her ability to move through the joy of learning and the joy of being part of a caring supportive class is the best gift that I can give her. Scratch that, it is the best gift that she can give me!
and so I stared and deliberated....and since writing that two weeks have passed....and we just had our graduation as part of class number five.
I can't even begin to tell you how super proud I am of everyone in the class. We reviewed using our voice. We reviewed the strikes, pinches and biting that we learned (yes, I have the black and blue marks to prove that they are fierce!) Then I decided to show off a bit. The staff member of their group who initiated the course is a Judo student of mine. She threw on her Judogi and we put some mats down and I showed everyone how I can throw her around. One of the guys had learned a bit of Judo and challenged me. So we helped him down from his wheelchair and he grappled with me. And then another want to try... and another... and another...next thing I knew I was pairing people off and refereeing and coaching a Judo class. Never in my life did I think that our simple self defense class would turn into this.
and then she asked.... this one woman who terrified me the most, just because of my inability to see how I can be of any help to her, asked if she could try Judo too.
We decided that it was time to end the class and that it was a little too much to handle to do more than we had, but you know what? She is going to come to Judo class. And you know what else? Whatever she can do to improve her ability to move through the joy of learning and the joy of being part of a caring supportive class is the best gift that I can give her. Scratch that, it is the best gift that she can give me!
