Something I have always admired about Master Hornbuckle is how courteous he is to others.

That southern charm will get you every time, won’t it?

It’s hard not to be won over by a man who opens doors, and says “yes ma’am,” and stands up when there are more people than seats. And he does all of these things. It doesn’t really surprise me anymore. Still impresses me, but it doesn’t surprise me.

In taekwondo, bowing is a traditional sign of courtesy and respect.

I see it in the other instructors here too (and in the students) – there is a courteousness inside this school unmatched in many other public spaces I have seen. I think it comes from mutual respect and practice – they practice saying “yes sir.” They practice putting away bags for one another. They practice putting others before themselves.

Unfortunately, I am still surprised when I see non-taekwondo kids doing these things out in public. I’m sorry to say that courteous kids are hard to find in the “real world.”

Because courtesy doesn’t come naturally.

It doesn’t come naturally to any of us, so it really, really doesn’t come naturally to children. We are naturally less-than-polite – why else do we act so differently at home than we do in public? And like anything that doesn’t come naturally, it has to be taught. Consistently. Like other skills, learning how to be courteous takes repetition, practice, and dedication, the way our instructors learned it.

That’s why we have our kids repeat the word-of-the-month when they enter the floor. That’s why we go over it multiple times in class over the course of the month. That’s why we correct the kids when we don’t hear them answer up with a “yes sir,” or “yes ma’am.”

And that’s also why we should be demonstrating it to one another as well. Showing respect to others (regardless of belt rank). Maintaining civility in our discussions. Putting others before ourselves.

The more we demonstrate this to our students and kids, the more they’ll pick up on courtesy as a way of life.

(-Mrs. Hornbuckle)