May 2013 Journal Entries (5)

Hi, my name is Naomi and I am working on my brown belt project.  I am doing a personal goal.  I am going to the farmers market on Sundays and collecting fruit and vegetables for Wellspring.  Wellspring is a center for women and children located in a former fire station in Oak Park.  They serve meals Monday-Friday and also have many other services.   When we get to the market we always have a plan.  We drop off the boxes first, then we wait until the market ends. Then we go and pick them up. …

     This weekend I read Karate-Do: My Way of Life by Master Gichin Funakoshi. Master Funakoshi was instrumental in spreading the influence and training of Karate throughout the Japanese Islands, and setting the stage for Karate's eventual global reach. Master Funakoshi wrote several books on the history, study, and principles of Karate. Karate-Do: My Way of Life is the Master's memoir presented through an assortment of recollections, anecdotes, and reflections of a life dedicated to the art…

Hi!  My name is Ethan Smalley and I love animals!  I have a dog named Cody and a cat named Bristow (but we call her Bunny).  My animals have a great home to live in with loving owners and lots of toys - but not all pets are as lucky as Cody and Bunny.  I want to help other dogs and cats that do not have a cozy home to feel loved and cared for as they wait for homes of their own.  This is what brought me to my decision to bring what I've learned out of the Dojo, and into the community, by…

After a recent class, a mom of one of our young students came up to me and asked to share a success story about her child. As teachers, if we are doing our job well, we will often hear stories about children taking what they learn in the dojo and out in to the world. Sometimes it manifests itself as more respect at home, or as better focus on school. This story however, was…

This is the second installment of my Brown Belt Project, where I will be discussing the second habit in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” namely, to “begin with the end in mind.” It focuses primarily on developing a principle based center, rather than leaning towards some of the problematic centers discussed in exercise four below. It then discusses developing my own guiding principles and integrating them into a personal mission statement, an…