New Idea for Spring Classes

I just wrote this e-mail, and I figure it would make a good post as well. In a follow up later, I will talk about why I want to do this in JP.


Dear Principal  __________,
I would really like to start a Lion Dance, Kung Fu and Tai Chi team for the Upper School kids at Curley. (Preferably children that can come and go on  their own.)

The benefit of this team to the kids and the school will be that the kids will have a sports and arts activity that will teach team player attitudes, but will also open them up to another cultures.

There are many opportunities to perform in the community, like the Wake Up the Earth Parade.

Also since I am associated with a team in Chinatown, they will have the opportunity to perform with them. Many of those performances are Colleges, Universities, and Companies, during the Chinese New Year season as well as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. (May)

My idea would be for the practices to be three times a week, Monday Wednesday and Friday some time after school

The class, for now, will last for three months. March, April and May, though I would like to eventually have it be year round.

I want to charge money for the class, but have it be affordable. I was thinking $60 for the three months per child. For students with low income, we can work out some sort of work study (though my price is pretty affordable for low income students) I think some sort of payment is necessary. First of all I need to get something out of it. And the students need to somehow make a show of commitment, or reason why they will be getting something out of these classes.
If they are just coming because they are forced to, that isn't going to work.

I will also have to be able to kick people off the team or suspend them, no refunds. Not that I want to. But otherwise I feel like I could run into trouble with discipline.

Finally I have to find a time that works for me and my kids. I like my children to be able to play outside right after school for a while. I saw that renting the school after 6pm is extremely expensive. And since I am doing this for Curley students only, I was wondering if I could somehow work along side CASP... but I also feel that it should be a partnership instead of me working under the CASP umbrella, especially since I am working with older children. Much the way Tenacity and SUper Soccer Stars have partnered with CASP

I have a skill, a willingness to teach, and I have these lion heads and drums waiting to be used more often. I have an art that can introduce children to other communities and to make connections with Universities and companies in a way that football and soccer may not be able to.

 -Sifu Adam Cheung