Happy to have you checking in, Adrian! Teaching already, too - that's fabulous!
A bunch of us went to a yoshinkan demo last year held at the sports complex at Ryerson University here in Toronto. It was interesting watching what they taught, how they taught it and how the students evolved from the stiff, jerky, almost robotic movements of the regimented instruction into the smooth flow of the black belts.
However, the most interesting thing was that there was not one woman in the black belt group, although there were some in the white belt group, most beginners. The men in the black belt group, it was also interesting to note, looked to the last man like they'd be more at home in a wrestling ring. What was really interesting to note, though, was the visiting 8th dan instructor from Japan was just a very slender man, about 5' 8 or 9, and very fluid, unlike the students in the beginners class who apparently are all taught movement in a regimented, robotic way.
As my fellow student put it, "yoshinkai starts off stiff and ends up soft; aikikai starts off fluffy and ends up soft".
Keep up the good work, and check in more frequently, let us know how you're doing!