I don't mean to go off on a rave here, but ...
[remember, it's about seeking balance in life, so I can't always rant ...]
... as many prepare to return to school , I couldn't be more excited to hear that groups like First Move and Chess-in-the-Schools are bringing the classic game of skill and strategy to elementary school kids everywhere. I'm certainly not a GrandMaster -- I'm more likely to be caught singing along to the Abba musical a la "One Night in Bangkok" than to be caught slapping the old game clock -- but I fully endorse the concepts so prevalent in the game: thinking analytically, building strategy for multiple scenarios, knowing when to execute an endgame, understanding the sacrifice of the pawn, etc. etc.
Chess inspired the name of my audience participation murder mystery company in the last few years of college -- and it's a featured part of one of my personal collections. Unique chess sets pop up in different places in the apartment as if I were an honorary Dimera (although they do get swapped out with unique nativity scenes around the holidays). I've got drinking plans tonight, so I'll have to post pics of my favorite sets tomorrow (the pieces in that one are shot glasses, naturally). But since I'm not raving about nor endorsing alcohol for the playground set, this is just a digression and I should return to the main thought ...
... which is -- the earlier we can teach kids coping skills for life, the better! Let the learning of the game be encouragement for these youth to be prepared for whatever comes their way. May the practice of Chess instill in them a confidence to know that they can be in control of their next move. And why not overturn the stereotype of the Chess club being the runts of the social bunch -- and embrace the fact that intelligence and advanced level brain skills can set kids up for success in life.
CONSIDER DONATING TO THE FIRST MOVE ORGANIZATION:
http://www.af4c.org/pages/first-move
CONSIDER DONATING TO CHESS-in-the-SCHOOLS:
http://www.chessintheschools.org/
OR IF THE RECESSION HAS GOT YOU DOWN, CONSIDER JUST SINGING ALONG:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnqj31VPNoE
No comments:
Post a Comment