INTEGRITY
Integrity (one of the eight virtues of a black belt) is also very important to develop at all stages of the student - teacher relationship.
For obvious reasons we do not want to get into the habit of lying to anyone, but the integrity of the student - teacher relationship is far more than that.
On the basic level, we want our students to trust us when we give them advice on something that will help them. Not everything we teach is immediately understandable, so the student trusting the teacher goes a long way with helping them progress faster. The student trusts the teacher and the student does what the teacher says and eventually understands why the teacher gave that advice.
Integrity doesn't mean the teacher has to say everything that is on his or her mind. If a student throws a floppy kick with no control, saying "this is horrible" may be accurate, but not helpful. Phrases like "I am not being mean, just truthful" or "just being practical" many times is a person covering themselves for lack of proper delivery. Additionally, communication like this rarely benefits the recipient.
We should be truthful in everything we say, in an effort to build that trusting relationship, but everything we say should calculated to have a specific effect. Going back to that example of the student with the crazy kick. Saying that is was a nice kick, may not be accurate, but saying "love the energy" is something that would be.
This type of integrity will, at time progresses, will be reciprocal. Students will be more likely to open up with concerns, if they feel that the instructors will be straightforward with them. This, in turn, increases the strength of the student - teacher relationship.
As we progress, in the years, with our students our integrity will show that we "walk our talk." Not only is this inspirational, but it also cements the martial arts mentality as a life style rather than an exercise routine or self defense drill. Not that either one of those aspects are incorrect, but they are inherently short-term.
Marcus Traynor