how do you let your students address you?
what do you ask of them? Should they call you sensei, by your first name, last name etc. etc.
And of course why do you ask them to call you that?
All my students call me by my first name, except for the youngest ones most of which automatically use the Dutch standard word for a male teacher.
I prefer letting them call me by my first name as:
1. it is my name
2. I'm not Japanese so why use a Japanese word?
3. I'd like to think I don't need a special name as my actions speak for themselves..
Re: how do you let your students address you?
Quote:
Originally posted by Rogier
what do you ask of them? Should they call you sensei, by your first name, last name etc. etc.
And of course why do you ask them to call you that?
All my students call me by my first name, except for the youngest ones most of which automatically use the Dutch standard word for a male teacher.
I prefer letting them call me by my first name as:
1. it is my name
2. I'm not Japanese so why use a Japanese word?
3. I'd like to think I don't need a special name as my actions speak for themselves..
Hello Rogier,
I have never made special requests to my Dutch students as to what they should call me, but they usually use my first name. Some more traditional students call me "Sensei", but only when training.
I recently found "The Undutchables" at a bookstore in Amsterdam and it was very entertaining reading on the flight back to Japan (it was a KLM flight, so I needed something to read).
It was a very interesting book and showed that there is a Dutch counterpart to Nihonjinron (which I experience whenever there is a meeting in Holland). Perhaps calling me Peter allows my aikido students to exhibit their dutchness, in the general context of learning a Japanese martial art.
Best,
a rose by any other name...
Our adults can me anything they'd be willing to repeat to their mother! Seriously, They eith call me Sensei, Robert, or Cheshire Sensei. They are allowed to call me whatever they are most comfortable with. Most of our students call me and my teacher Sensei because of the meaning behind it. Off the mat, again, they are to call us what they feel comfortable with and change them depending on the situation. I have found that if they are talking to us about budo/class related things they often call of sensei and when it's a social setting or comment it's by our name.
Our kids are to call us either sensei or Mr. (first name). This is to teach them respect to their elders. We also encourage to show respect to their family members and teachers, etc.