Thanks to my friend Steve for alerting me to an NPR story about martial arts. It was a commentary (a spoken-word column) on Monday, April 25. You can find it on the All Things Considered archives at npr.org.
It was just a 4-minute commentary, but it did cover some aspects of martial arts that I've also written about: what it's like to learn new protocols (she mentions washing the floor! we don't do that), the excitement of getting ready for a test, the desire to please your new teachers. I like the way she wrote about working so hard she got blisters on her toes and had to tape them "just like the blackbelts."
Her focus was mostly on how testing, an aspect of education she does not enjoy (she is a public school teacher), can be an important motivator for students.
I agree, but I'd also point out that she was an ideal student: she really wanted to learn, was willing to submit to instruction, and she chose her topic. I wonder how it is for her public school students who do none of those.
The ideal test, to me (also a teacher) is one that is a learning experience, not just an evaluative one. My TKD tests have been that way.
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