Dear John,
As you can see by the smile on Leigh's face she was quite proud of
herself. Thank you for training her, inspiring her, and helping her
to gain confidence in herself. Your lessons in the dojo are
invaluable.
Toby Meyer, Ph.D. CCC-Sp
847-475-4402
"My son has participated in the after school Karate program (3rd and 4th grades) offered by Fonseca Martial Arts. He started off as a new student and has recently earned his yellow belt. I am very proud of what my son has been able to accomplish. However, more importantly, he is very proud of his own accomplishments. He has enhanced his sense of pride and self discipline. I truly believe the Karate program helped to enhance these qualities. He is very excited about his accomplishments and already has his eyes set on the orange belt.
Fonseca Martial Arts has had a very positive impact on my son as will as the rest of the children in the program. The patience, the discipline and time the instructors spend with the children is very positive while still providing fun. I would highly recommend this program to any parent who would love to see their child have fun and build upon their own personal character at the same time. It is wonderful to see a child set goals for themselves and to go after them. What wonderful preparation for their future!"
Sincerely,
Adrienne Powers
(mother of Dawes After-School Karate Club)
Dear John
I wanted to express my appreciation for the work you and your staff have done here at Dawes School in our after-school program. Your program has provided a wonderful opportunity for students to try something new and different without even leaving our building, which I know their parents also appreciate! Your staff is always timely and pays close attention to the students, their safety, and their development both physically and emotionally.
As a result of participating in the karate program, our students have gained in self-esteem and confidence. They have concrete goals to work towards and receive acknowledgement of their accomplishments. Through your program the students practice many of the same skills we work on here during the regular School hours, specifically working towards goals, self-discipline, and listening. In your program they get all of that while benefiting from exercise!
We are happy that we have been able to maintain this program here at Dawes for the past year and look forward to continuing our relationship with Fonseca Martial Arts
Sincerely,
Karen Bradley
Principal
Evanston/Skokie
School District 65
1500 McDaniel Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201
Phone:847-859-800
Fax: 847-859-8707
"Our kids were so enthralled with John after his program that they lined up for autographs!
It is rare to find a person these days who can relate in such a positive and enthusiastic manner as to command the respect and attention of kids ages 3 - Grade 6. John did just that at his presentations with our clubs. The kids were excited about the subject, eager to learn, and responded well.
The club adult leaders even got into the action! A great time was had by all. This is one event the kids and the leaders agreed must be repeated!
Thank you, John for turning a "Friends Night" into a memorable occasion for everyone. I would recommend you and your teaching on "What To Do About Bullies" to anyone working with children."
Vickie E. Warner
Children's Ministries Director
Oak Brook Community Church
Dear John,
In my quest to find a martial arts school that was right for me, I visited most of the other dojos in Skokie and found many of the classes had only one or two people. I visited yours several times and found it fit my needs perfectly. My search was for a larger class size, where the emphasis would not be on me to compete.
I was extremely pleased with what I saw; and how you, the instructor, made everyone feel a part of each class. For me, at 64, and one of your older students, being able to participate at a comfortable level was important and I can do that.
That being said, I would not hesitate to recommend Fonseca Martial Arts to anyone wanting to get involved with martial arts.
Sincerely,
J.R. Graves
773-447-3992
Dear Sensei John and Sensei Elisa,
On behalf of Alexander and our whole family I just wanted to say “thank you” for the huge impact Fonseca Martial Arts, its instructors, students and parents have had on our lives. When I signed Alexander up for Little Dragons 4½ years ago I was thrilled to have found a karate program that had classes at 4:30 in the afternoon—instead of the 7:00 p.m. classes for 4 and 5 yr. olds that the other local dojos seemed to have on their schedule. I signed him up because I was also looking for a sport that focused on discipline and respect while allowing my son to work off his seemingly endless supply of energy. Little did I know that Fonseca Martial Arts would give us so much more—and not just for Alexander but for our entire family as well.
Learning the art of karate from national, international and world champions like yourselves and the other FMA instructors has indeed been a privilege. While he was always pretty shy around you both, Alexander was very proud of the fact that he was learning karate from a world champion and a hall-of-famer. Not only do you teach your students kata, kumite, and kobudo but you also teach them life skills such as respect, teamwork, camaraderie, confidence, perseverance, good sportsmanship, discipline, and how hard work pays off. While Alexander now has a great foundation in karate thanks to FMA, he also has learned how to be a better person, a determined competitor, and how to be gracious after losing --all thanks to your instruction.
Besides the world-class instruction that Alexander and I both received, it is perhaps the dojo family that has had just as large as an impact on our lives. After spending 3-4 afternoons a week at FMA, Alexander forged wonderful friendships with his fellow students, his younger sister Kerrigan became friends with many younger siblings, and I developed lasting friendships with some amazing parents. Your family-oriented dojo fosters a welcome atmosphere, a true sense of community and belonging, and a supportive environment in which to train. It is a very special place and we miss it greatly.
Best of luck for continued success and we hope that we will see you, your students and their parents at future tournaments!
With great appreciation and affection,
Katherine Bunker
Dear Sensei John and Sensei Elisa,
I want to thank you both for being such great coaches. You really talk to the kids in a way that is a great mix of motivation and self-development. And you do a great job dealing with the kids where they are, developmentally. Dakota has really internalized that it's less about the color of the medal and more about self-knowledge, his application of what you teach and his character in the ring. As a mom, I can't tell you how much that means to me. You guys give these kids an incredible opportunity to witness pro athletes up close. And you give them a value system that endures in the face of some fairly challenging situations for nine-year-olds. I feel that both of you have been such a positive, formative influence on Dakota and I'm so grateful for it. So, thank you.
Kim Erwin
Sensei John,
I would like to say that you have a good group of sempai at the dojo.
Sean didn't do well as he wanted in the ISKC tournament on Sunday. The next day
at the dojo, your sempai Kai acknowledged him for doing a good job at the tournament and this meant a lot to Sean. He was very happy when he told me what Kai said. I know parents expect a lot from their kids to win in competitions and some make it worse when kids lose. There was so much expectation from other parents and karate schools for kids to win at this tournament that instead of letting kids enjoy themselves it became serious competition for them. I really appreciate all of the sensei for teaching good values and sportsmanship to your students. We are glad to be a part of the dojo.
Thank you,
Poon Kojima
