It's Our Students...Who Make Us Great!
The quarantine has given our students, parents & instructors a living example of the Taekwondo Tenet "Indomitable Spirit". Ask any Shiba TKD student what this tenet means and they'll give the immediate answer, "Keep A Happy Heart!"
During these past several weeks, they did indeed choose to keep a happy heart amid uncontrollable and unexpected circumstances! The opportunity continues as we take classes in the dojang with 12 feet of distance between us and as we patiently enter and leave the dojang one by one. WELL DONE and THANK YOU to each of our students and parents!
Along this same line, we humbly and gratefully share with you Dawnette Pratt's heartfelt thank you letter. We thank you back, with all our heart, Shiba TKD Family! If you were not willing to be resilient and persevere through all of the changes, there would no longer be a Shiba TKD.
"When the order to stay safe at home was given by our health department everything my children knew and loved outside of our home was gone. It was devastating.
Shiba Taekwondo did not miss a class! They immediately switched to virtual classes - at first recorded and then live online classes over zoom! We received emails both before and after they had to close the dojang about plans on how classes would continue.
When the decision had to be made to close, Master Shiba began sending out weekly fitness challenges in addition to the regular classes! These challenges were just what I needed to help my children focus on something positive! This was something they were able to be in control of and accomplish! We have not missed a week of completing the challenge. They work hard, they focus on finishing it, and they are proud when they complete it each week!
In addition to all of this, the students were encouraged to send videos of skills they needed to test on! My children were thrilled to get individual attention from their instructors! We sent a video, their instructor would respond with correction, praise, advice, and encouragement. The children practiced and we sent another video. I watched a lot of improvement happen in both of my children!
As if the online classes, fitness challenges, and video-based feedback and instruction was not enough, my yellow belt daughter was offered private online classes to help her with skills she was struggling with! She received four private sessions of varying length. She was determined to improve and progress thanks to the encouragement and support she received. As a result, she was able to complete most of the work needed to receive her next belt during the stay at home period and earned that belt shortly after classes were able to resume at the dojang!
I will forever be grateful for the extra work put in by Shiba Taekwondo during this time! Our family was given the wonderful gift of a positive focus point when much of the world was focused on the virus. I do not want my children to live their lives in a shadow of fear. I want them to take reasonable precautions for health and safety and face challenges they meet with confidence and determination to overcome. This is something they have received the tools for during this time!
I am aware that the work and effort required to keep classes going virtually on their regular schedule was more work than having classes at the dojang. However, Master Shiba and the rest of the instructors at Shiba Taekwondo not only put in the required work to continue; they went above and beyond offering challenges, extra lessons, and personal attention that were a living example of the tenets they teach our kids during class- and obviously by the way they live life even outside the dojang!"