One Bad Apple

I find that when I am tired I have less patience.  I also find that as I have gotten older I am less prepared to put up with bullshit from people.  At 66 I am clearer on my boundaries and quicker to draw the line.  I have usurped a quote out of the Mel Gibson and Danny Glover movie trilogy LETHAL WEAPON “I am too old to put up with this shit”.

For example, in the early days of running Teacher Training Courses, when someone would misbehave or act up, we would have a quiet chat with them and trust they would be sensible and come around.  This has not always worked out, so now it is one strike – one warning.  It is important to allow the student the chance to give their side of the situation.

Just because someone is an “adult” chronologically does not mean they know how to behave.  As yoga teachers, we are responsible for the students in our care – all of them.  So, if a student is misbehaving and negatively impacting on the others, you need to step in quickly before it becomes a bigger problem.

One of the intentional design aspects of the Knoff Yoga System is that it is a filter.  If a student does not like what or how we teach, then we encourage them to go to another yoga class.  You do not want everyone!  Because “everyone” includes some assholes.

You will have heard the saying “One bad apple spoils the crate”.  We have found this to be very true.  One misbehaving student, particularly in a teacher training course, can ruin it for everybody.

If in your classes you have a student who is not happily and willingly participating, then I recommend you politely, but firmly guide them elsewhere.  If they are not happy in your class, then they are not going to learn, so you are actually doing them a good deed by weeding your garden.
I hope your yoga garden is green, lush and abundant.  

By Master Teacher James Bryan