Teacher certification training

[Greenwood]

What are your thoughts on the new T'ai Chi teacher certification offered by Yang Yang? Open to all styles, stresses medical/health application of T'ai Chi, expensive, seems to be a quality program.
www.centerfortaiji.com
Maybe there needs to be several high quality teachers/programs offering teacher certification WITH RECIPROCITY for recertification so one does need to go back to original certifiying organization? Thoughts? Issues? Concerns? Thanks, Greenwood

[yeniseri]

I think it is great for those who lack a functional background in health, science or taijiquan, those who want to go beyond 'superficial choreography' and teach taijiquan within the merits of benfit for all who see it as such.

The 2 year re-certiifcation is a bit much and overkill but if you think you need it, it is available.
If one already possesses this knowledge, then go out on your own and present it to the world!

[Greenwood]

After talking with other T'ai Chi teachers at workshops, the need for certification in the T'ai Chi world seems to arise from the pseudo-certification issued by some people (no names mentioned!) who award certification to teach T'ai Chi to students who attend a weekend workshop. The workshop is their only training!
When those "certified" teachers approach a hospital to teach T'ai Chi, the certification carries weight in the regulatory world of health care. That leaves other T'ai Chi teachers with years if not decades of experience standing out in the cold.
Yang Yang's program seems to address this as he requires 5 years of T'ai Chi training as a prerequisite for admission.
Thoughts on his program: the content, the recertification etc??? Thanks.

[jfraser]

There is a Gung Fu/Tai Chi saying:
"It takes a teacher 3 years to find a good student.
And it takes a student 3 years to find a good teacher".

Several masters locally are not teaching anyone, as they cannot find the quality of student they require. A Tongbei Quan master told me recently, that he had to, as a boy, kuo tuo daily and be like a servant to his master for many months, before his teacher would teach him anything.



I will not say more on this subject, as this time.