Ok, so today is my first solo day as karate instructor. I’ve taught karate before, years ago, and I’ve been helping out at this dojo for a while, but I always had an assistant or I was the assistant. Now I have to go solo against 20 little kids with parents watching over me to see if I am still worthy of their time and money.
I feel like I have a huge responsibility to my Sensei, not just because of our personal interaction, but because he is now going to Afghanistan to help rebuild the country. I don’t want to let him down by lowering the quality of his school while he is away. As scary as the prospect of failure is, I need to use that as fuel to excel at this and really pay back my instructor and these kids for all the benefit they bring to my life.
First Sergeant Carlson, I salute you for the man you are, and the man you make me want to be. Godspeed and Good luck. I’ll hold down the fort till you return.
