CHESS SAVES LIVES AND I CAN PROVE IT!
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Dear Reader:
When I say that Chess saves lives, I mean exactly that. How do I know? Well, I truly believe it helped to save mine in some way. And, I'm certain that others that have been truly affected by Chess would also maintain the same, exceptionally bold, statement. My story and the stories that others have to share throughout these pages are meant to inspire a "qualitatively" new way of thinking for anyone in the field of education today, especially for those that want to promote higher order thinking skills in those children that suffer from academic, social, and behavioral/intra-personal challenges.
I would like to begin by offering you a little knowledge of my background so that you can have a better appreciation for the objective of the endeavor which I so passionately pursue: the exposure of Chess to children that struggle academically, socially, and behaviorally within our school systems by training teachers how to teach Chess and how to relate the principles of Chess to the students they serve.
I come from a family of 8: One abusive and troubled Father, a codependent Mother, five troubled little boys, and one troubled little girl. You can imagine the dysfunction that unfolded. It was no surprise that I- as well as my siblings- suffered from academic, behavioral, and emotional issues; similar to many of the children I've worked with for over the past 20+ years in Education. We were always in fights or in trouble throughout our young years. In the words of Dr. Nicholas Hobbs, whom most consider to be the founder of the Re-Ed movement, we were "troubled" and "troubling." From vandalism to well planned petty rip-offs, we were always seeking out trouble because we were troubled.
Obviously, I was subject to and was involved in some very negative experiences in my life and needless to say I became a very angry and cynical young man filled with hopelessness. It follows, therefore, that I eventually began to loath school, authority, and even society and felt that it had very little to offer me. After all, what was my motivation? It certainly wasn't based on anything intrinsic. Unfortunately, I was too troubled at the time to try and do well at anything. I became much of "what" our American and even global schools are trying to work with and desperately trying to help each and every day-"At-Risk" children {http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-risk_students}.
I, like any At-Risk child, had processing issues, trust issues, and everything else that comes with an At-Risk child's inner working model: A world filled with confusion, anger, uncertainty, fear and hopelessness. Fortunately, despite all of these negative inner-workings, there is a part in every human being which houses a spark; a spark waiting to ignite hope for the future, as even the At-Risk child still hopes to succeed. The At-Risk child still wants to be something or "somebody" despite the handicaps they face or the trauma they have experienced and still endure. It just takes more time for him/her to adjust and become proficient in whatever it is that they try to engage in throughout their lives. Therefore, it is up to us to work within the parameters of how certain children comprehend and learn and begin to adopt styles of teaching methods that will apply to and be more conducive to their modes of learning. Chess can make At-Risk children experience something they've never been able to before- Success.
As educators, we often make the mistake of focusing our attention to and concentrating mainly on a child's academic success and fail to consider the significance of an emotionally balanced child and how that is contingent upon academic, intra-personal, and social success. It is wrong to say that it is the other way around, especially if a child continues to fail academically. In that sense it becomes a vicious cycle. Can we really expect a child to work and succeed in any capacity with a mindset that is already working against her/him? It will certainly not be therapeutic to continue doing what doesn't work- which usually involves throwing more rigorous academic work at the children with hopes that they will "come around." This is Wrong. The fact of the matter is that emotional stability and high esteem can change a child in ways one can never imagine.
When a child becomes proficient in Chess then that child becomes engaged in a continuous learning process that can be years in the making; a continuous stream of challenges, obstacles, language, ideas, reasoning, planning, and self-worth that is inherent in Chess and this challenging journey. We need to begin taking our time with different approaches to help these children build on their esteem and self-worth and we can do this while at the same time promoting one of the State's objectives: the development of higher order thinking skills- and we can do this by utilizing an excellent teaching tool as that of Chess. More importantly, I am asking you to build relationships with the At-Risk children you work with and begin using the wonderful teaching tool of Chess to inspire, motivate, and help them to grow in all areas in their lives.
I hope that you will take the time to look through the few pages I have here, including the videos and testimonies of these young men, women, and adults that have witnessed the impact that Chess has had on them and their lives. I hope that by the end of your visit to these pages, you will recognize the power Chess can have on a young person in not only an educational arena, but also in a social and intra-personal arena. Once you recognize the possibility of what Chess has to offer an At-Risk child, let's do something about it... because a good friend once taught me that we would be successful if we can save "just one." But, working together we can save thousands to start.
My Very Best,
John Saade
Teacher Counselor
Educational Chess Advocate
When I say that Chess saves lives, I mean exactly that. How do I know? Well, I truly believe it helped to save mine in some way. And, I'm certain that others that have been truly affected by Chess would also maintain the same, exceptionally bold, statement. My story and the stories that others have to share throughout these pages are meant to inspire a "qualitatively" new way of thinking for anyone in the field of education today, especially for those that want to promote higher order thinking skills in those children that suffer from academic, social, and behavioral/intra-personal challenges.
I would like to begin by offering you a little knowledge of my background so that you can have a better appreciation for the objective of the endeavor which I so passionately pursue: the exposure of Chess to children that struggle academically, socially, and behaviorally within our school systems by training teachers how to teach Chess and how to relate the principles of Chess to the students they serve.
I come from a family of 8: One abusive and troubled Father, a codependent Mother, five troubled little boys, and one troubled little girl. You can imagine the dysfunction that unfolded. It was no surprise that I- as well as my siblings- suffered from academic, behavioral, and emotional issues; similar to many of the children I've worked with for over the past 20+ years in Education. We were always in fights or in trouble throughout our young years. In the words of Dr. Nicholas Hobbs, whom most consider to be the founder of the Re-Ed movement, we were "troubled" and "troubling." From vandalism to well planned petty rip-offs, we were always seeking out trouble because we were troubled.
Obviously, I was subject to and was involved in some very negative experiences in my life and needless to say I became a very angry and cynical young man filled with hopelessness. It follows, therefore, that I eventually began to loath school, authority, and even society and felt that it had very little to offer me. After all, what was my motivation? It certainly wasn't based on anything intrinsic. Unfortunately, I was too troubled at the time to try and do well at anything. I became much of "what" our American and even global schools are trying to work with and desperately trying to help each and every day-"At-Risk" children {http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-risk_students}.
I, like any At-Risk child, had processing issues, trust issues, and everything else that comes with an At-Risk child's inner working model: A world filled with confusion, anger, uncertainty, fear and hopelessness. Fortunately, despite all of these negative inner-workings, there is a part in every human being which houses a spark; a spark waiting to ignite hope for the future, as even the At-Risk child still hopes to succeed. The At-Risk child still wants to be something or "somebody" despite the handicaps they face or the trauma they have experienced and still endure. It just takes more time for him/her to adjust and become proficient in whatever it is that they try to engage in throughout their lives. Therefore, it is up to us to work within the parameters of how certain children comprehend and learn and begin to adopt styles of teaching methods that will apply to and be more conducive to their modes of learning. Chess can make At-Risk children experience something they've never been able to before- Success.
As educators, we often make the mistake of focusing our attention to and concentrating mainly on a child's academic success and fail to consider the significance of an emotionally balanced child and how that is contingent upon academic, intra-personal, and social success. It is wrong to say that it is the other way around, especially if a child continues to fail academically. In that sense it becomes a vicious cycle. Can we really expect a child to work and succeed in any capacity with a mindset that is already working against her/him? It will certainly not be therapeutic to continue doing what doesn't work- which usually involves throwing more rigorous academic work at the children with hopes that they will "come around." This is Wrong. The fact of the matter is that emotional stability and high esteem can change a child in ways one can never imagine.
When a child becomes proficient in Chess then that child becomes engaged in a continuous learning process that can be years in the making; a continuous stream of challenges, obstacles, language, ideas, reasoning, planning, and self-worth that is inherent in Chess and this challenging journey. We need to begin taking our time with different approaches to help these children build on their esteem and self-worth and we can do this while at the same time promoting one of the State's objectives: the development of higher order thinking skills- and we can do this by utilizing an excellent teaching tool as that of Chess. More importantly, I am asking you to build relationships with the At-Risk children you work with and begin using the wonderful teaching tool of Chess to inspire, motivate, and help them to grow in all areas in their lives.
I hope that you will take the time to look through the few pages I have here, including the videos and testimonies of these young men, women, and adults that have witnessed the impact that Chess has had on them and their lives. I hope that by the end of your visit to these pages, you will recognize the power Chess can have on a young person in not only an educational arena, but also in a social and intra-personal arena. Once you recognize the possibility of what Chess has to offer an At-Risk child, let's do something about it... because a good friend once taught me that we would be successful if we can save "just one." But, working together we can save thousands to start.
My Very Best,
John Saade
Teacher Counselor
Educational Chess Advocate
