Who Your Community?

Monroe Taekwondo is a community. Monroe taekwondo community has a range of ages and groups: children tiger cub taekwondo, junior taekwondo, kid-jujitsu, adult jujitsu and the waiting-lobby participates. The Academy is a community because it is based, on the ITA mission that “strives to inspire a sense of responsibility and commitment to our community, challenging students to do what is right and ethical.” There are several events that hold an individual together as group; such as, the gathering of belt awards ceremony, the kid’s party, community events, and the daily conversation about the neighborhood and roads, schools and teachers, news and work etc. Communities offer help to others that have limited funds; and the ITA offers scholarships to students who need help. The instructors also reach out to the student’s academic teachers, called partners and learning; this is show the student that life is successful with a net of support.

Honor, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, courage, and COMMUNITY are the seven tenets of Taekwondo. The seven tenets are expected to be used daily. I find it is a well rounded group, shinning through to the local community. There is always the talk of the positive activities that the group keeps up with, such as, volunteering and participating in locals sports. Individual integrity demonstrates courtesy to others; honor for oneself, family, and community; and self-control to be able to focus. There is an emphasis that taekwondo is for protection and an art form only! Taekwondo is not to be used it in spite or harm; and that why the tenets are essential.

Taking marital arts classes take is a large commitment, which takes a lot of time, and an underlying amount of money. This makes for very serious people which can be a little intimidating. The Dojo (mat/class room) is a serious place to be, it work on different levels of intensity; the older an individual is, the more serious the focus becomes. This would have tension on individuals that were not focused on changing lifestyle to meet the requirements. There is not much conflicts when it comes to the kids, but the lobbyist (the parents) that are forking the cash out all have their individual beliefs as to why their child is in the class. It’s like being at a little league game except each kid is on his or hers own team. It’s the push to the front to see the little start learn marital art.
Every six weeks or so the tension in the air starts to rise, because in additional to the membership and the monthly fees, there it is the sigh of awe to another testing fee. At that time how to forget about how much it really cost, it as if the colorful sense of community becomes white wash and the community becomes opaque. There tends to be the people that just can’t keep up with it or don’t have the time to do it. And, that takes something out of the sprit of the community.

But, like always the games are back on and the colors return.

It was a little over a year and a half ago my family was introduce to the mission of the Monroe Taekwondo Academy. There we have met a great community of inspiring people. There has been an amazing transformation for our family. My two older boys are in the cub’s program; and in fact the oldest is moving up to the junior’s class in the next month. My husband, Chris, also goes to the academy; he hits the mat in the jujitsu class. The baby and I sit out on the side lines; with a lot of rout and a bunch of love. The growth and tie that are family is made by the firm set of values has made are family unit whole. Watching the boys grow and do well in school is well worth every hour that we put into them. And, my belief, as long as, everyone is meeting their individual needs, then as a family we are happy and undivided.