Tonight, I got a lot of satisfaction helping out in the Senior Tigers class (ages 8-12). One of the drills they had to do was front, side and roundhouse kicks over a kicking pad. The point of the exercise was to get them to chamber their kicking leg before kicking over the pad. I was surprised to see the control a lot of them had. That tells me they're practicing on their own at home.
I also had a talk with a student who was getting frustrated because he felt overwhelmed with schoolwork and practice. I like to think of times like this, when you're feeling overwhelmed, as Life Is Getting Loud. I didn't try to diminish the way he was feeling, but I did try to offer a way to quiet the noise and to help him going forward. Ultimately, I'll support him either way.