SIFU/SENSEI DOESN'T LIKE ME...

 by Phillip Starr

During practice, one student turns to his buddy and whispers, “I think sifu/sensei doesn't like me.” His friend is surprised and asks why he believes such a thing. The student replies, “Because he doesn't correct me anymore, even if I do something wrong.” Yep....I'd say that to some degree, he's probably right.

I learned a very valuable lesson from my father many moons ago. My mother was fond of trying out new recipes now and then, and she'd happily cook them up for dinner. Dad would always tell her if the food was good but if he didn't like it, he'd say nothing at all. So when my wife changed her hair style and I liked it, I'd tell her. “Oh, you always say that”, she'd reply. And I'd tell her, “No...if I didn't like it, I wouldn't say anything at all.”

And so it is with students, to a large degree. If the teacher is seemingly always correcting them; “picking on them”, it's because he CARES. However, those who show little enthusiasm or spirit or who make it to class only occasionally, will rarely hear his voice. He's determined that THEY DON'T CARE, so why should he waste his valuable time on them? There are other, more enthusiastic students to whom he could and should direct his attention.

So if your teacher is constantly correcting you, it means that he CARES. When he stops picking on you, it's a very bad sign...