Master Nancy Hull

Chehalis Parks and

Recreation Center

(360)748-0271,

Cell: (360)789-3802

Physical address: 25

Circle Dr. Chehalis

WA. 98531

Classes: Mon. and

Thur. 5:30p-6:30p,

6:30p-7:30p

Website:

hulltaekwondo.com

Facebook: https://

www.facebook.com/

pages/Kims-

Taekwon-Do-

Chehalis-

Washing-

ton/206358794526?

fref=ts

Kim's Taekwon Do is located in Chehalis, Washington and proud parent Nanci Finley takes her son, Sean, there for practice every Monday and Thursday evening. Sean has an autism spectrum disorder and according to his mother, while he is high functioning he still has issues with gross motor skills. According to her, doing Taekwon Do has helped her son tremendously with not only his gross motor skills but also with his sensory processing disorder issues. Sensory processing disorders such as proprioceptive dysfuction, vestibular dysfunction, tactile perception, and dyspraxia are often seen in indi-viduals with an autism spectrum disorder. She also says that in doing his Taekwon Do with Master Hull and her husband Mr. Chuck Hull, Sean has also begun to be more social and make new friends. Making friends and keeping them are very difficult for kids on the spectrum like him who lack the understanding

and implementation of social pragmatic skills.

Master Hull is a 5th degree black belt. Her husband, Mr. Chuck Hull, is a 4th degree black belt. Together they teach Taekwon Do through the Chehalis Parks and Recreation. Classes are held on Mondays and Thursdays and anyone and everyone is encouraged to join. Kim's Taekwondo is an or-ganization which is under the oversight of Great Grandmaster Hong Sik KIm in Portland Oregon. They have many schools throughout the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and even in Hawaii. Master Hull has been teaching Taekwon Do since 1998 and here in Lewis County since 2009. She and her husband have had the privilege of traveling to places like China, Korea, and most recently Thailand. While there, they enjoy training and teach traditional Taekwon Do in the schools there. When not teaching Taekwon Do, Mrs. Hull works as a paralegal in a legal office in Rochester, WA where she has worked for the last 20 years. Kim’s Takekwon Do is extremely close to traditional Taekwon Do. Great Grandmas-ter Kim is a Christian and very spiritual. His beliefs are incorporated into Kim's Taekwon Do. However, it is very much a "non denominational" setting and there is absolutely no discrimination of any kind. It is impor-tant to Great Grandmaster Kim that the "Christian Philosophy" is practiced by all the masters of his schools in the way they teach the students; respect, honesty, community service, working hard in every-thing you do, a "can do" attitude, and become a respectful honorable human being with a perfect character and physical condition. The students also have fun learning how to say things in Korean.

While Sean’s mother has said that she had informed Master Hull that Sean does have an ASD and sensory issues, Master Hull mentioned that sometimes other parents are not so forth-coming. She did say that some parents do tell her if they have issues that interfere with their lessons. Mas-ter Hull indicated that she believes some of her other students have ADHD, but stated that before she got to know Sean and his mother, she was not familiar with ASD, and had no experience working with indi-viduals who have ASD. She said that sometimes “ignorance is blissful” as she says that she doesn’t teach any one of her students any different than the other regardless of knowing if they have something like an ASD or ADHD or not. There is no favoritism in her classes and everyone is treated as equals. This comes from her Christian and spiritual beliefs. She and her husband, Mr. Hull teach respect: not only to the mas-ter/teachers but to other students and help the students be proud of their own accomplishments while at the same time encouraging them to be humble.

Kim’s Taekwon Do –Master Nancy Hull

Community ChampionsCommunity Champions May 20th, 2013 S t o r y b y N a n c i F i n l e y

Common words/phrases

said in a Taekwon do

class and the Korean

Translations

Do Jang-Do means

“the way” or “art”

and Jang means

“place”, Do Jang is

the place where one

practices the way or

path of martial arts.

Do bok-Student

uniform

Tae-foot, kwon-fist.

Do-way—Taekwon

do loosely means

“the way of the foot

and hand”.

Sabum-nim-Teacher

Kamsa hamni da–

Thank you

Joon bi-Ready

Shijak-Begin

Kuman-Stop

Hana-one , Dul-two,

Set-three, Net-four,

Dasot-five, Yeosot-

six, Ilgup-seven,

Yeodol-eight, Ahop

-nine, Yeol– ten

They try to teach respect for everyone and everything in your life. She states that one of the joys in

teaching taekwondo classes is that you don't compete with each other, you only compete with yourself

to do better and better. Some children, whether autistic or not, progress very rapidly and some do not.

It takes each child a different amount of time to be comfortable with what they are asked to do within

their physical limitations. Some kids have an easier time concentrating than others. The only firm rule

she has is that you cannot be disruptive. She hasn’t had any trouble with any of her students, whether

they had any autistic tendencies or not. When a student first comes to class they are given a list of

"rules". Every student whether they have a disability or not is expected to follow them.

When a new student comes to her class both she and Mr. Hull introduce themselves

and go over the rules and expectations while in class. The students are required to address Master Hull

and Mr. Hull as "yes sir" and "yes mam" when they are being taught. This shows not only that the stu-

dent heard and understood what was being said but also tells the teachers that they did indeed under-

stand what was being asked of them and to respond in a respectful way. When a new student such as

Sean comes to class and his issues are made known going over those rules and expectations in the

beginning is extremely helpful. Using Sean as an example, he was not comfortable being barefoot and

even being touched a little. Time has shown that these "issues" to be total NON issues while in class.

Sean has adapted with no problem to being barefoot (which is a requirement for safety), and seems

comfortable with the physical contact, which is a good thing since Master Hull can’t help but literally give

the kids a pat on the back when they do well! When a student is not doing as they are instructed and are

not paying attention the "Sabum-nim" will have the student do push ups. The class is only one hour long

and while the students are there for a class there is no time to be "goofing" off. They teach the students

many things within the hour class so there isn't a lot of room for that.

Sometimes teaching her student can be a little daunting she says. She had

also stated that "Like all teachers, along with discipline and focus, we try to have fun, but I do expect my

student to work to their full potential, regardless of their individual abilities or limitations." She did note

that sometimes keeping the students engaged can be difficult due to a lot of repetition and routine. Stu-

dents can and do get bored and tend to slack off when not doing their best. She said that while most

parents are very supportive, those that are not do have an adverse effect on the student’s achieve-

ments. It is difficult for a student when a parent does not come to tournaments or testings or seem to

have a personal interest in what their child is doing. While she understands that a parent can have a

busy schedule as she is a parent herself, there are students that do well and try their best and then the

parent does not give the encouragement needed. Most often she finds that those parents for whatever

reasons, tend to bring their student randomly and don't realize what kind of impact it makes on the stu-

dent and their progress of promo-

tional belt advancement.

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With that all being said she said, she “loves all her students” and she take ab-

solutely no greater pleasure than seeing them succeed...even if it's a tiny step like being proficient

with knowing which is their right leg and the left leg! She said with joy, “When they actually begin to

understand and learn a Taekwondo technique- WOW! I love seeing that little "light bulb" go on and

it shows in their eyes. " It gives her great joy watching her students succeed and watching how

happy her students are when they achieve a new skill set. Though at times she can feel frustrated

she has learned patience balanced with firmness. Due to the nature of the sport there is no

“goofing off”. Safety is a priority which means every student MUST pay attention to what he or she is

doing and not horsing around or being disruptive. They really focus on discipline AND respect for one

another.

While Sean is her only student that she is aware of that has an ASD, she ad-

mits she really doesn’t know how much of an impact it is on families and the kids. She did express an

interest in learning more. She did say that she has very much enjoyed Sean being a part of her class

and would love to have more students with his drive and determination, attitude and joy. She had said

that she admires the he can be so focused and respectful and when he is there, he tries his hardest and

they see that. He always comes with a can-do attitude and is always respectful of everyone. She said

that she knows that he has "issues" and that when he is there he never once complains about how any-

thing they do is an "issue" for him. He tries even if it takes him out of his comfort zone. Just like the tak-

ing off the shoes thing. She said that she has seen it herself that Sean has "grown" a lot and he has only

been there for a year.

Master Hull believes that success not only for the school but also the success of

her students comes from the beliefs and philosophy set forth from her own life along with Great Grand-

master Kim's Christian beliefs. She believes that these values and spirituality can be applied to all of her

students and not just the disabled or autistics. Respect, honesty, and being an honorable human be-

ing. She replied, "When it comes to accomplishment of any kind, our worst enemy is ourselves. It is that

self-doubt that kills us......Keeps us from even trying! Hopefully, I've helped some of the kids believe in

themselves and adopt the "yes I can " attitude that our Great Grandmaster is always preaching!"

Kim’s Taekwon Do also believes that using the discipline learned in class, a stu-

dent can push himself or herself to work hard in school and achieve good grades. As part of that belief,

students who work hard can earn certificates of achievement and become a member of Kim’s Taekwon

Do Academic Achievement Club. From Sean's point of view, he says he feels very happy about receiv-

ing awards for academic achievement (they are given awards for this and must turn in report cards to

Master Hull). He loves getting the rewards from when they do tournaments and he LOVES when he gets

to promote and test for a new belt level. He currently tested at the end of February and was promoted to

yellow belt. He has only been with Master Hull and learning Taekwondo for a year. At first Sean was

very shy and didn't talk with anyone. Now, he talks to other students and has been much more social.

He enjoys talking to some of the students before class about books or games

that they have in common. From his mother’s point of view, he has really

grown socially. He didn't talk to anyone for the first half of the year in the

class. Within the last 6 months he has really come out of his shell. His bal-

ance, coordination and gross motor skill have improved so much that he is

now riding his bike without the training wheels.

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Sean will always have some slight delay in motor skills and some sensory issues but with

Taekwon Do those issues are not as overwhelming and bothersome as they once had been. His

mom is so proud of him for doing his best and trying so hard. She see’s that he is more confident

and also a big boost in his self esteem. She loves the fact that the Hulls help enforce some type

of philosophy and values such as respect for others and ourselves, doing the best we can, com-

munity service, the "can do" attitude, responsibility, and being honorable. Master Nancy Hull and

Mr. Chuck Hull are all around great and positive people and a great influence on their students.

Community ChampionsCommunity Champions M a y 2 0 t h , 2 0 1 3