It's the story of nearly every business, but, it can be especially noticeable in a martial arts school: The Seasons of Attendance.
I admit, my first year of teaching, I don't know if I fully noticed. I was very preoccupied with staff, and the financials of the school, that, although the students were always my primary focus while I was teaching, I don't know if I fully gave the attendance of the school much thought. I simply taught who showed up with 100% of my ability, and assumed any who missed class had a good reason.
I know that I didn't notice this, because my other instructor, who had considerably less to worry about, Shinka-wise, would point out the attendance ebbs and flows, and I would usually remark upon his observational skills.
In the second year, I tended to notice only during extremes, that is, extremely high attendance, which I responded to with joy, and extremely low attendance, to which I responded to with worry and sadness.
In my third year of running Shinka, I now tend to notice attendance's seasons and, hopefully by year 4, I'll be able to predict them to a certain extent.
May/June, for example, is the end of the school year for many children - as the pressures of school mount, attendance tends to drop in martial arts class (which, by the way, is not recommended - studies show that taking martial arts during exams is especially effective as martial arts improves grades, relieves stress, and allows for creative channeling of thought and energy). This year, I've noticed a huge increase of new students during that same time, which is very interesting. I'm going to pay closer attention to this sort of thing when I get back.
Even trivial things like sporting events or season finales of television shows can drastically and unpredictably alter attendance.
I admit, my first year of teaching, I don't know if I fully noticed. I was very preoccupied with staff, and the financials of the school, that, although the students were always my primary focus while I was teaching, I don't know if I fully gave the attendance of the school much thought. I simply taught who showed up with 100% of my ability, and assumed any who missed class had a good reason.
I know that I didn't notice this, because my other instructor, who had considerably less to worry about, Shinka-wise, would point out the attendance ebbs and flows, and I would usually remark upon his observational skills.
In the second year, I tended to notice only during extremes, that is, extremely high attendance, which I responded to with joy, and extremely low attendance, to which I responded to with worry and sadness.
In my third year of running Shinka, I now tend to notice attendance's seasons and, hopefully by year 4, I'll be able to predict them to a certain extent.
May/June, for example, is the end of the school year for many children - as the pressures of school mount, attendance tends to drop in martial arts class (which, by the way, is not recommended - studies show that taking martial arts during exams is especially effective as martial arts improves grades, relieves stress, and allows for creative channeling of thought and energy). This year, I've noticed a huge increase of new students during that same time, which is very interesting. I'm going to pay closer attention to this sort of thing when I get back.
Even trivial things like sporting events or season finales of television shows can drastically and unpredictably alter attendance.
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