Student Teacher Relationships

A Non-Economic Relationship

            Profit is not the primary motive for teachers. The relationship is considered non-economic. Money is nothing more then a byproduct of the relationship. Teachers practicing traditional methods of payment have their students pay what they have up to a certain amount. Traditional teachers are reachable by all socioeconomic groups.

The Practice

Core, Peripheral, Casual Students

            Core students, ones with the most experience, knowledge and skill, are the leaders of the group. Core students attend almost every class. They are the most recognized and respected by the class. They reflect the values of student teacher relationship as viewed by the teacher. The core makes up roughly 20% of the class and occupies the front row.

            Peripheral student’s experience knowledge and skill level although quite high are not up to the standards of the Core. Peripherals though familiar with the practice look to the Core for leadership. Peripheral students are also grasping the values of the teacher and are now committing to grow under the teacher and core. Compared to the core they attend with less frequency, makes up roughly 50% of the class, and occupy the second row.

            Casual students, ones with the least experience, knowledge and skill, are the beginners of the group. They might be highly skilled in other systems or styles but are yet to learn the direction of the practice. Casuals could be transient students searching for new teachers or styles or just exploring the system. They may have had only a few lessons with the class. Casuals look to the peripherals for leadership. The casual students makeup roughly 20% of the class and occupy the third row.

 Class Development

            When a new class is formed the Core group is identified and developed. The Core is given first attention followed by the Peripheral until the Core reaches a satisfactory level of proficiency.

The teacher’s attention shifts to the Peripheral after the Core achieves satisfactory proficiency. The Core executes verbal commands while the peripheral is given hands on attention. Only after the peripheral is the casual addressed.

Once Peripherals achieve satisfactory proficiency then the casuals are addressed. The casuals are instilled only with the direction of the practice. Fine-tuning is not necessary. From a traditional teaching perspective Casuals are expected to prove themselves over time. In traditional schools the teacher does not address casuals since they are likely to be transient. In these schools Casual students are addressed only after a sufficient level of dedication is shown.