Search
Close this search box.

Play Chess, Improve Your Classroom Climate

When I was 10, my dad asked me if I wanted to learn how to play chess. I asked, “Is it as easy as playing checkers?”  “No,” he said. “No thank you”, I replied.

Many years later, I realized that I made a terrible mistake. A friend of mine had taught me how to play, and I immediately saw the beauty and strategic thinking embedded in the game.

In 1999, I started a chess club in my 6th grade classroom. Chess became not only a game that showcased my students’ critical thinking and problem solving abilities, but it also became a metaphor for a way to navigate conflict. Chess pieces move in different yet predictable ways. So do people.

“Conflict is natural. It’s all around us,” I would tell my students. “Think of a baby brother or sister that is learning to walk. They are constantly struggling against the forces of gravity. The battle begins from the moment we are born. We learn to overcome conflict of the natural world.”

“Now think of the conflicts you have with other people. What if there was a game you could play that would help you with your disputes between friends, or brothers and sisters? Chess, my friends, is that game.”

The students were hooked.

Chess pieces move in distinct patterns. People also have patterns and tendencies.The goal is to help students recognize these patterns and choose which conflict strategy works best based on what the conflict is and who is involved. ​My students’ ideas about conflict began to shift.

Seventeen years later, I’ve dusted of the chess sets and introduced the game to a new generation of students. Working with the amazing staff at Leataata Floyd Elementary School in Sacramento California, we have started our own chess club. Rain or shine, three days a week, students rush from lunch in the cafeteria to play chess in our club.

While the students simply enjoy their games, I have noticed the level of camaraderie and respect grow among them. Win or lose, each player thanks their opponent after every match, and they carry that positive community spirit back to their classrooms.

So pick up a few sets and give chess a try in your classroom.

More to explorer

Build Community Through Class Meetings

Everyone wants to belong. As educators, we not only have the task of educating students, but also the responsibility of creating an environment that is inclusive of young people with different ethnic backgrounds, languages, values, socio-economic and academic levels.

How Math Helped Me Build A Strong Classroom Community

When I moved to a new school in the late ‘90s, one of the first things my new principal told me was that there was a lot of racial tension at our school. Our school included African American, Hmong, Latino, Pacific Islander and White students. I was told that recent conflicts in the neighborhood created an atmosphere of distrust on our campus.

Soldiers, Headshots, and Water Bottles

Project Showcases are one of my favorite events in schools. The showcase is the culmination of a unit where students learn deeply and present their understanding in a variety of interesting and creative ways. Families and community members get to listen, ask questions, encourage, and learn. I’ve seen hundreds of student presentations over the years, but there are a few presentations that, in my opinion, were extraordinary. The students described below were incredibly knowledgeable but it was the way they presented that made a lasting impression.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *