When instructors go bad...VERY SERIOUS MATTER

[BBFC]

I invite all the instructors and viewers that come across this posting to write comments and/or encouragements on very serious matter. There’s an instructor (let’s call that person J) that was a chief instructor for two schools in NYC. “J” was misled by the head instructor; he didn’t have master rank amount other things. Also, “J” was taken advantage of financially, emotionally and personally.

“J” gave years of support and instruction to the schools students with little reward from the head instructor. In fact, most will consider the amount of work she done for the two schools as slave labor. Furthermore, all the things the head instructor told “J” turn out to be a big fat sugar coated lie.

“J” now feel that Taekwondo, Martial Arts and the people who run schools to be nothing more than lying lowlifes, “J” loss the faith.

The reason I write this on Budoseek is to show “J” that there’re good martial artist out there that care and are sincere about their art. Also, I turn J on to Budoseek and know that J will read this. I also hope it can restore J's faith in Taekwondo, people and Martial Arts in general.


“J” is at a cross roads on whether to continual or quit Taekwondo. I hope “J” decides to continual and take up my offer to join my school and allow me to help. As for tuition price NO CHARGE, you have paid your debt in full.

[TonyU]

The best way I can answer this is by posting my story in TKD.
I felt I was robbed (for lack of a better term) by a TKD master. In his case he was legit. The problem was he would rarely be at the dojang due to other activities. Unfortunately he wasn't establised enough to have other students or an assistant instructor teach. So we would show up ( we had keys) stand around and look at each other asking "Ok, what do we do now?'
So I left. After some research I found the karate school I'm at now. So don't lose hope there are good schools and instrcutors out there.
As a post scritp, even though I don't train in TKD anymore, the school I was at closed, for obvious reasons and a new TKD school took it's place. I had the opportunity of meeting the new instructor and watching his class. I was impressed to the poit that I recommended anyone that wanted to train in TKD to go there.
Good luck.

[Eliz]

Ditto on what Tony said. I understand "Once bitten, Twice Shy." Instructor "J" should try to move forward. There are a lot of really great people out there. Sometimes you have to weed through the muck to find the good. Sometimes we need the muck to recognize the good. Take the offer instructor "J."

[Erik]

Think of it like business - if one provider is not providing and you (or J) still want the product, find another vendor, like what Tony wrote.

This is a sport, not a cult. J must unfetter herself from these nonsensical wrappings.

[DragonMind]

There are frauds, charlatans and abusers in every field of human endeavor. If one focuses on the negative behavior of those, the only logical conclusion is to sell everything and move into a cave. However, the best revenge for those that cheat and abuse you is to rise above them and find the good things in life. There are decent, honorable and loving people in the martial arts. I have lifelong friends from that community that wouldn't hesitate to give a stranger the shirt off their backs. These people live the tenets we always preach. My life would be so much emptier had I abandoned the MA world because of the bad seeds.

I don't know the particulars but I can tell you that the federal Dept of Labor, Wage and Hour Division is very interested in people who violate minimum wage laws. The state offices that administer Worker's Comp are interested in people with undeclared employees. Just food for thought.

[Bugeisha]

For my experience with taekwondo instructors, look at my post here:
http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=87442#post87442

There are bad instructors out there. There are bad people in every field. There are also people who enrich your life simply by being in it. Taekwondo has its share of those, as do all martial arts.

"J," don't stop training. That would be a disservice to yourself and to everyone who's life you could enrich by your presence.