4Elementary School News

Respect and self-control through martial arts

Ask most students what they know about martial arts and they will tell you tales of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, Jr. kicking the stuffing out of bad guys in the movies. Jamie McRedmond's first grade class learned that martial arts are much, much more.

One of her students, Trevor Cline, invited his Tae Kwon Do teacher to teach his classmates about the ancient art. Senior Instructor Scott Ferguson of Pai's Tae Kwon Do Academy in Schenectady accepted the offer and visited the class on Thursday, June 3.

Master Ferguson shared that martial arts are more about self-discipline and physical fitness than fighting—it's actually about being healthy through exercise and being the best you can be. He discussed things such as:

• How to have self-discipline and control

• How to make friends by being nice

• How to defeat a bully without fighting

• How to pay attention and follow directions

• The importance of focus and concentration to achieve good grades in school

• Respect for parents, teachers, classmates, law and order

The class also learned that Tae Kwon Do is the most popular martial art and it is also an Olympic sport that is practiced in over 164 countries. Master Ferguson also taught some basic Tae Kwon Do exercises...a big hit with the students!

"Master Ferguson's positive message of martial arts promotes the kind of behavior we expect in school," said Mrs. McRedmond. "The Tae Kwon Do academy has a quote, 'Changing students' lives, one belt at a time!' That ties in to what we do. We're trying to change students students' lives everyday in our classrooms."

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