11 years have elapsed since I began my kung fu journey. For 11 years I have been trying to take all that Kung Fu has offered me. Learning how to discipline myself, how to have patience, how to persevere. How to make the best out of the time you are given, how to push yourself to improve, but there comes a time when there is a shift in focus. After all of these years of taking from Kung Fu, it was time for me to start giving back. A few years ago I embarked on a new stage in my Kung Fu education, learning how to teach. At first, I was placed in charge of two or three students, but slowly this number grew. Currently I am a TA helping teach at enlightened, a local chinese school. While this task is far from easy, it has taught me many important things that I couldn’t have learned in school. I am learning how to deal with children, for instance, how do you get people to listen to you, what would I do if a child is concealing toys in their pants during class, a difficult predicament indeed. These are things I would never have learned if I wasn’t gifted this opportunity. These skills are extremely important in life skills that are rarely taught. As high school graduation is nearing it may be that my time at SKZ is coming to a close, though the lessons I have learned will help me throughout my life. 2/13/2022
I am Ethan Carr, I am fifteen years old, and I go to Leland high school. I have been practicing Kung Fu for nine years and I am part of the team class. I have been offered many amazing experiences from Kung Fu, and I hope to continue practicing it in the future.
Before Kung Fu I was really shy, and I preferred to spend time with myself rather than others. But after joining the team class I was forced into more situations where I had to lead classes or perform in front of others. Because of this, I gained a lot more confidence in myself, and became much more social. Kung Fu has inspired me to become a stronger better person. It has also inspired me to be a better leader. I have learned many things from my time in Kung Fu, but this was probably its greatest lesson.
I started Kung Fu at a young age, but it didn’t become a pivotal part of my life until later. Before this point I was not the most social person. I could count the number of my friends with my right hand, and still had room to spare. This continued all through elementary school, and till the start of eighth grade. During eighth grade I was invited to join the Kung Fu team class. I thought, “Sure, I’ve got nothing better to do.” Little did I know that this decision would change my life. I was completely overwhelmed at first, by the shear volume of material I had to learn in a short time. Over time, I slowly was able to accommodate to the needs of the class. Around this time, the team class was going to put on a performance at the annual Kung Fu pot luck. This was going to be my first time ever performing a form by myself. I wish I could tell you how wonderful of a job I did, and how awesome I was, but that’s not the truth. I was terrible. I forgot multiple parts of my form, and I was too busy freaking out to make the parts I did remember to make them look good. When my moment panic had ended, I was surprised to find that I was looking forward to performing again. So, I did. I signed up for as many performances I could and enjoyed everyone of them. Even when I messed up, I was still having fun. From these experiences I had gained a lot of confidence. I soon was leading tons of forms and performances, and even started being a TA for some classes. Instead of going to Kung Fu because I should, I was going because I really wanted to. Because of Kung Fu I have gained a lot of confidence in myself and have found something I am truly passionate about. Sharing Kung Fu with others, whether it be performing, or teaching others, I loved showing others what I enjoyed so much. Thank you Shifu for making this all happen, you have truly changed my life.
