Taking the Pee is futile.

[seyah]

I'm running a kiddies play class, a traditional karate class, a freestyle class a beginners and advanced kickboxing class.

It's amazing how the play class, traditional class and both kickboxing classes are doing well ie well attended with good student commitment. However the students from the freestyle class think it's acceptable to miss lesson after lesson turn up when they can be bothered and generally try to take the pee, even though the instructors have bent over backwards for these particular club members.

Don't know if it's a respect issue or what?

Anyway we introduced steps to try and ensure student attendance improves but it hasn't worked, so now the pee taking has back fired on them.

As I have these other classes running I hold the winning cards. I have posted a message on my site aimed at the freestylists with a warning that if their attendance dosnt improve over the next 3 months the worst offenders will be asked to leave. I have also frozen addmitance of new students for the next three months as I am looking to close this particular class if the freestylists don't pull their finger out, I felt it would be unfair to accept and licence up new students if the class might be clossing.

I am looking to transfare any regular attenders into the kickboxing or traditional classes if they wish too do so. But I have had enough of the freestyle students taking the pee.

Have any other instructors been in a similar sittuation? If so how did you deal with it???

[slipthejab]

So the kids that attend (or some of the time anyhow) the Freestyle class also attend other classes?

How does your freestyle class differ from your other classes?

Perhaps it's an age issue?

Or do you have the same age groups with better attendance in other classes?

(and most importantly - does the filter here at MAP really filter out the word... piss?)

[seyah]

I only have one of the freestylists who trains in the kickboxing class and he's a regular trainner.

The freestyle class is points sparing in answer to your question. We have students of the same age in the kickboxing class as in the freestyle class but we take no rubbish from the kickboxers.

And obviously not!!! but I prefare the word pee.

Originally Posted by slipthejab

So the kids that attend (or some of the time anyhow) the Freestyle class also attend other classes?

How does your freestyle class differ from your other classes?

Perhaps it's an age issue?

Or do you have the same age groups with better attendance in other classes?

(and most importantly - does the filter here at MAP really filter out the word... piss?)

[Ghost Frog]

You're the boss... it's your time and energy. You have to balance up the benefit to the other students and your own sanity over the benefit to the annoying ones. If you're feeling generous then you could say that even if they turn up occasionally then they're getting some benefit...

But I wouldn't There are few things in life where people get any rewards from inconsistency, least of all Martial Arts.

Worse, if they're turning up and taking the mick, they're learning nothing, so I would knock the whole thing on the head. Either turn them away if they don't follow the rules or charge them in advance for classes that they are missing. I would just close the class and move the interested ones to another class so they can carry on doing the same.

I have known people to be in a similar position with kids classes where the kids are hard work and badly motivated and the parents just use the class as a baby-sitting service. On the one hand, that may be the only bit of exercise and discipline the kids are getting in their lives at that point in time, but on the other hand, classes like that can undermine the whole club as no-one wants to teach them and they are very tiring and de-motivating for whoever gets lumbered with them.

[seyah]

I am thinking the same thing, thats why i'm giving it 3 months to see if they pull thier finger out if they don't then it's clousure time I think.

[Cyrax]

i dont get it...what do you mean by take the pee? your students need to use the restroom? urination station

[Guizzy]

There is something that you might not be aware of, seyah, in this context.

Perhaps the fear of having to face you with their absences saps any motivation those students might have had in coming to the class... Before you do anything too drastic, perhaps you could tell them that you're not going to take offence with those that DO come back.

[seyah]

Originally Posted by Guizzy

There is something that you might not be aware of, seyah, in this context.

Perhaps the fear of having to face you with their absences saps any motivation those students might have had in coming to the class... Before you do anything too drastic, perhaps you could tell them that you're not going to take offence with those that DO come back.

Already done that, bent over backwards etc etc this is an ongoing problem with this particular class tried different lesson plans, structures & aproaches and even explained that if students don't attend they face loosing a class. This nex step is the last aproach.