Karate Instructor Runs Gym Classes at Boston School for
Deaf Students
Boston, Mass., May 2, 2006. During the month of May, about 20 Deaf and hard-of-hearing students at the Horace Mann School in Allston will have a special substitute gym teacher: Sensei Jason Gould of Emerald Necklace Budo Martial Arts (www.karateinboston.com) will be teaching classes on Tuesday mornings along with a handful of volunteers from his dojo (karate school).
"This is a really special opportunity for our dojo to do something valuable in the community," Gould says. "The students here at the Horace Mann School get to do something different, fun, and interesting, and we get to share the art that we love with a great group of kids. They'll learn about self-defense, self-respect, and discipline, while we get to learn about Deaf culture and how to communicate in ways that stretch and challenge us."
After giving a karate talk and demonstration at the Horace Mann School to about 100 students earlier in the year, Gould was invited back to teach some of the students during their early-morning gym classes. "Although we'll be teaching karate basics to the kids, our true focus is not on the punching and kicking," Gould says. "I want the students to walk away from our brief time together feeling more energized and more focused, with a stronger sense of self-worth."
Gould has been conducting traditional karate classes and self-defense programs for adults since October of 2003, and the students at Emerald Necklace Budo Martial Arts regularly participate in community service activities as part of their Black Belt training. Past activities have included a fundraiser for Allston's West End House Boys and Girls Club, and building housing in Dorchester with Habitat for Humanity. More information about Emerald Necklace Budo Martial Arts can be found online at www.karateinboston.com.
Sensei Jason Gould can be reached at (617) 230-1973.