Last night, we got an email from Master Mast telling us that ATL UTKD is now on Yelp. I told my…read more5-year-old daughter, who has been a student there for nearly a year. After explaining to her what Yelp is, she instructed me, "GO ON THERE AND GIVE MASTER MAST 100 STARS!!" I explained to her that 5 stars is the highest possible rating, and she was not pleased, as 5 is apparently not enough stars.
I could not agree more. Master Mast is, from an observer's perspective, an outstanding teacher. He has a way with his students, be they 4 years old (as my daughter was when she started) or full-grown adults (as are many in the school). My daughter loves going to class and has learned a lot about Tae Kwon Do as well as about herself. I am consistently impressed at the confidence and self-discipline she shows in class. And, as a parent, it is hard not to be proud of someone accomplishing such things. But, I have to say also that it is hard not to give a great deal of the credit to Master Mast, as well as my daughter.
Master Mast's ability to be stern, clear, confident and direct while also approachable, friendly, and engaging with the students is remarkable. My daughter often suffers from a fear of failing. But, in his class, she tries everything and actually enjoys being pushed to do her best while also improving. Here's an example. During her first color belt test, she was asked to break boards with her punches and kicks. She had never seen anyone else do it and was clearly afraid. After a few attempts, Master Mast let her go without having to break them. But, he said to her, "don't worry, we'll get them broken." The next day, in class, one of the first things he did was bring out those boards again, and, with the confidence of having passed her test, she broke them on the first try.
So, the bottom line is, this school is outstanding, and though I'm not a student there, I can see how thrilled the students are. My daughter usually attends three days a week, but recently, upon learning there is a fourth class she can attend (the Saturday family class), she has begun to insist that we take her four times a week. We will do so happily! So, take it from her, 5 stars are not enough.