You guys know which was the main problem that lead to a downfall of the teaching system? Senpais. Not how they were originally intended but in what they eventually became. Senpais meant that you didn't need an orange name to teach. You didn't need to pass a skill test. You didn't need anything more than simply knowing a sensei, some of which inactive and who didn't oversee the trainings or the result of that. Not only that but it also devalued the sensei name. It took away most of its "glamour" or level. Now, teaching was not sensei exclusive.
By adding the permission that some people who aren't sensei can proctor battle tests you are once more taking a huge chunk out of the sensei name. Its the same deal applied to something that is sensei bound at the moment. And note that its sensei bound only because mods cannot take all battle tests, as that would be the preferable situation. It becomes so that no one will ever want to be a sensei. You only have a hassle, you don't get anything in return and worse, people without a sensei title do the same as you and even have the same level of "say" in battles and etc. It lowers the weight, once again, that the sensei title should have.
Honestly, I think that we should have more things bound to the senseis and bound to an activity quota of training. This way, more people would apply for senseiship and more people would actually stay a sensei once they get to that level. But thats my opinion and I'm fairly sure its completely and utterly not viable.
When I finished college years ago, one of my teachers said something that I'll never forget. You see, many of my colleagues wanted to apply for unpaid internships in hospitals as that was a trend at the time. Hospitals used to lure people into accepting to work for free with the supposed premise that if they'd do good, they'd eventually get the job. My teacher told us "Never perform your profession without being hired and having the title. If you do it, no one will ever feel the need to hire you and the profession will slowly die". And its true. If everyone worked for free in the hospitals, why would they feel the need to hire people? The job would get done just the same. And here its the same thing. The more things you take away from senseis, the less value a sensei title has and that only fuels the issue, not solve it. Personally, the solution would be to make the position that much more important and needed, not the other way around. Perhaps even giving old senseis their title back if they, instead of a training quota, filled in a test quota, considering them to be senior senseis off course. Or some variation of that. But never to take away and give such a duty to non senseis. I don't agree with it.
I know some people who were senseis and conducted tons of battle tests who are more than capable of conducting tests, even if they aren't currently holding the sensei title. However, I know only of 2 in this situation. As of other members who consider themselves capable of conducting tests, I could piece together a few through the replies that clearly think they are capable of that. However, its funny that most of them haven't passed a single battle test or are actually that good to begin with.
In the end, this is another variation of the "I'm so good, I'm so skilled, I could do a better job in this or that than anyone who has a higher position in the RP than me". It happens with CJ checks, battle checks, battle tests, canon making, etc. But thats not 100% the truth. Are there one or two members who could be picked to have the permission to proctor some tests when no one else is available for it? Members who were once sensei? Yes. Are they enough to actually make a difference in the current system to a point where some new "senpai of tests" position needs to be created? No. Not in my opinion.
And the proposition itself wouldn't resolve the core issue which is that people in the RP know less and less about it as time goes by. People have the 5 basic elements, nin, gen and tai mastered and still if you ask them what is chakra or what is ninjutsu or what are the two core principles of ninjutsu, etc still can't reply correctly. I mean, hell, not long ago I saw a senior member, supposedly a good rpear, a fear of the RP and what not, say that Taijutsu doesn't require chakra because Lee didn't have chakra as he couldn't use ninjutsu. O____________________O I mean, seriously?? Taijutsu uses chakra...I just doesn't require you to focus and mold chakra. But it uses chakra. Otherwise, what would opening the EIG do? Some pretty green flames and a dramatic "woosh" all around you? The core problem with tests, teaching system and battles, including the NW btw, is an overall lack of skill and knowledge.
Perhaps its our fault as the RP evolved as the ages of those in its leadership evolved thus becoming more complex, harder, more perfected as we also got more adult, more mature. There was a much more increased focused on details and all minor conditions and descriptions rather than a focus on the broader picture of each fight, each move. Things got dissected instead of enjoyed. Perhaps the way the RP was before was better: "I activate MS, I use Amaterasu, I win" perhaps was the way to go. And the evolution of the member pool of the RP also contributed for this. Members used to respect the older ones, the ones with more skill and power and aim to be like them, to grow, to better themselves and they strived to actually achieve that level. Now members strive to destroy that level, to destroy the skill and power of others rather than trying to simply become better themselves. Perhaps its a generational thing. Cultural. Dunno. It exists and that shift was very noticeable. Very very noticeable. And I'm not talking about complaints about one oped custom or the mods. That existed ever since the RP started. Thats not new. Its ridiculous, stupid, pathetic and infantile but there is nothing one can do about it. It hurts the community more than anyone knows, but no one cares. Its a destructive atitude just for the sake of destroying. Without thinking of consequences and without a real reason. I'm takling about the one on one interaction of each member with each other. The fight threads and how people try to win. The low strategies people use to try and get training or to advance in training. The whole skype/IRC thing and how it has hurt the community. But the truth is, regardless of its origins, the RP faces this problem. Most members don't know the rules or care about it. Most don't understand the Time Frame we use. Most think they can simply say "I dodge" a technique in a passive manner. Or that Genjutsu can be seen "coming your way". And endless more variations of the same type of issue. And when I say rules, I don't mean the Global Rules of NB. Thats beyond this point. I mean the character, ability, etc rules and the fighting rules we use. I think 80% of the current active Rpears doesn't understand the RP fully. Not even partially. And having this type of suggestions implemented, for me, only worsens the issue.
But thats my opinion. I'm not in charge of neither of those areas anymore so its just an opinion as a sensei and rpear mostly.
