Kevin Sullivan's Black Belt Schools of America has been an important part of a remarkable change in my daughter's life. She has gone from being a student who had problems focusing, so that the normal classroom environment was too distracting for her to learn to read and solve math problems to one who is meeting or exceeding grade level expectations in almost all areas of her schoolwork. A year ago, she did not want to be involved in any extracurricular activities (even though she showed high levels of ability in dance and gymnastics) because she did not want to perform in front of people. Shy. Now, not even a year later, she can't wait for parent viewing nights in her karate class, is a member of the student council, and is known in our neighborhood as "the Mayor", for her friendly ways. Of course, some of the change can be attributed to normal maturation, but the continuity and personalized attention she gets from Grandmaster Sullivan's program is unique and effective.
Discipline and respect are carefully cultivated in Grandmaster's dojo, as much as fun and love of Karate. No two classes are ever the same, as one day the students might be running and doing calisthenics, or, the next class, they might focus on leadership skills. Every class my daughter has attended has offered her a good balance of karate technique and philosophy. From the very beginning, to this day, my daughter is so excited to attend karate class, her interest and determination has not waned a bit!
The most important benefit we've recieved, though is the boost in my daughter's self confidence. If there's anything outside of karate class that is a challenge to her, all I have to do is remind her of her accomplishments in karate to remind her of what she can do. She cannot argue with the fact that she could only do a few push ups when she started karate, but can now do more than some of her older brother's friends. She also has experienced, first hand, how discipline and tenacity have benefitted her in and out of the dojo.
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