Teaching Level Self-Assessment
A Reflective Guide for Guild Members
As the Mahj Life Instructor Guild continues to grow, it’s important that each instructor represents their teaching level with honesty and confidence. This self-assessment is designed to help you evaluate where your current knowledge and teaching experience best fit within the tiers of beginner, intermediate, and advanced instruction.
The goal is not to test or qualify anyone—it’s to support ethical self-representation and help instructors adjust their advertising, lesson design, and continued learning as needed.
BEGINNER LEVEL
Typical Students:
New players who need help learning rules, card reading, and table flow.
Instructor Focus:
Building confidence, understanding game mechanics, and fostering good habits from the start.
Reflective Prompts:
- Can I explain the why behind every NMJL rule I teach?
- Am I confident guiding new players through full rounds without error?
- Do I have strategies for easing frustration and encouraging patience?
- Do I use consistent language and examples that match the official rules?
If you feel strong in these areas, you’re well-positioned to teach beginner lessons. If not, you may wish to revisit your fundamentals through the BOOST review modules or peer observation.
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
Typical Students:
Players who already understand the basics and want to improve consistency, flexibility, and reading exposures.
Instructor Focus:
Decision-making, hand development, and defensive awareness.
Reflective Prompts:
- Can I confidently explain why one hand choice is stronger than another?
- Do I help students recognize safe vs risky discards?
- Can I demonstrate how to switch hands mid-game or analyze post-play decisions?
- Do I design lessons that move beyond mechanics into reasoning?
If some of these still feel new, that’s normal—intermediate instruction grows with your own game experience. Note your next learning steps and align your offerings accordingly.
ADVANCED LEVEL
Typical Students:
Experienced players seeking to refine strategy, tempo, and tournament readiness.
Instructor Focus:
High-level play analysis, timing, wall awareness, and competitive formats.
Reflective Prompts:
- Do I have personal experience in tournament settings or advanced play groups?
- Can I explain tempo, timing, and positional play with clarity?
- Do I understand penalty rules, scoring formats, and etiquette differences?
- Can I model composure and advanced reasoning under pressure?
If not yet—use this as a professional growth goal. Observing tournaments, studying advanced concepts, or attending peer workshops will strengthen your readiness for this level.
Using the Self-Assessment
- Review each level. Mark the statements where you feel confident versus developing.
- Adjust your representation. Align your advertised teaching level with your current strengths.
- Plan your growth. Watch Mahj Life videos, attend Esprit BOOST workshops, enroll in the Learning Lab, and take advantage of peer support through the Nexus strengthen areas marked “developing.”
- Revisit regularly. As your experience grows, your self-assessment should evolve too.
Guild Statement
Mahj Life instructors are trusted ambassadors of the game.
By reflecting on where you are most confident and adjusting your offerings as needed, you help maintain the integrity of our teaching community and ensure every student receives instruction that matches your authentic expertise.
