08/15/2026
Sometimes the most meaningful parts of teaching come back around when you least expect them.
More than ten years ago, I was teaching Social Studies at a high school in North Providence. Many of the students I taught were simply my students—young people I saw in the classroom every day. Many of whom were gifted intellectually in a variety of ways.
Some of them, eventually became my martial arts students as well.
Others had never trained before.
Over the years, a number of those students stayed in touch, and some eventually became interested in martial arts and self-protection..
Then, in 2021, several of those former students reached out to me.
They wanted to know if I would consider teaching them again.
The timing wasn’t quite right then, but I never forgot that conversation. In fact, this question was the reason I decided to begin teaching self-protection in my home community.
Five Years Later, We’re Finally Training Again
Now, in 2026, that idea has finally come full circle.
I’m excited to announce that South County Self-Protection is now offering training in Cranston at Meshanticut Park on Wednesdays at 4:00 PM.
And what’s particularly meaningful to me is that the group is already beginning to fill with familiar faces.
Former students from my North Providence days have started coming back to train.
Some trained with me years ago.
Some had never trained at all.
And each time we meet, another familiar face seems to appear.
It’s a pretty remarkable feeling to look across the training area and recognize people I first knew when they were in desks philosophizing in my Social Studies classroom more than a decade ago.
Now we’re training together.
From Teaching History to Teaching Self-Protection
Teaching high school and teaching martial arts may seem like very different things, but I’ve always felt there was a connection between them.
Both involve helping people develop confidence, think under pressure, understand themselves and the world around them, and become more capable than they were when they started.
Martial arts simply gives us a different classroom.
At South County Self-Protection, we train in practical self-protection, awareness, movement, striking, grappling, conditioning, and the ability to stay calm and make good decisions when things become chaotic.
You don’t need a martial arts background to participate.
In fact, some of the people currently coming to the Cranston group started with none.
An Invitation to the People I Haven’t Seen in a While
This new class has also made me think about all the people I knew during those years in North Providence.
Former students.
Former colleagues.
Teachers and staff members.
People I haven’t seen in years.
If you’re one of them, consider this an open invitation.
You don’t have to know anything about martial arts.
You don’t have to be in fighting shape.
You don’t have to make a commitment to train for years.
Come down to Meshanticut Park. See some familiar faces. Move around. Learn something useful. And maybe reconnect with someone you haven’t seen in a long time.
I’d genuinely love to see you.
Cranston Training
Wednesdays at 4:00 PM
Meshanticut Park — Cranston, Rhode Island
What started more than a decade ago in a North Providence classroom has unexpectedly found its way back onto the training floor.
And I’m pretty happy about that.
Sometimes the people you teach become the people you train with. And sometimes, years later, they come back around and remind you of the true impact of teaching practical skills
Sometimes the most meaningful parts of teaching come back around when you least expect them.
