I have never been a prolific teacher regarding student acquisition and maintenance but I have taught in enough places to see and understand how I have placed myself over the past 2 decades.
Luckily, the institutions that I taught understood the value of what taiji could potentially accomplish (the yangsheng concept i.e. wellness, fitness and 'stress management, albeit subjective as to personal intrinsic well being after practice
1. Taught at a local park district (yes Tai Chi Arthritis)TM) Dr Paul Lam NOTE: Even though I had been teaching for 10 years, the park district required some lype of 'certification' to attest to knowledge, affiliation and exposure so Dr Lam's course fit the bill. For the seniors who particiapted, they needed to have the signature of their family MD that they were able to participate without problems and that tai chi was safe and doable
2. community college continuing education programme
3. university complementary medicine class where acupuncture, qigong taijiquan, tui'na, etc were introduced to students (for 3 years)
The above mentioned locations, being quasi-medical establishments see a value where its introduction necessitates a scientific review of some kind where purpose, value, necessity, etc are worth more than titles, lineages or special closeness to Master XYZ. For those needing to understand what I mean, go to "PubMed" and type "taijiquan". "tai chi", "qigong". I have mentioned this beofre but just a reminder to see where I am coming from regarding having a literate background when one teaches beyond "the shingle".
The stardards of, and for teaching taiji(quan) have never been pragmatic or open to discussion but there must be a objective and knowledgeable base of known critera that all can understand as opposed to the poo poo mumbo jumbo that often permeates "tai cheese" to the gullible public.
One of the better sources I have come across is the Tai Chi Union of Great Britain so I have linked their template for proper teaching, which is at odds with what 80-90% of teachers teach today/ Link:
https://www.taichiunion.com/tcu/wp-cont ... z1Eu_GJdicThough I had developed my own standards based on the external criteria, both mirrored an intent for the safety of the individual taking /participating along with criteria in assessing/learning and applying those principles necessary in achieving insight/tools to better wellness and fitness.