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Rob Mitchell| Guest columnist

Smart students dont always play chess, but students who play chess always become smart. Chess teaches patience, critical thinking, problem solving and reasoning. It teaches students to not only see the turn but to see around the turn, because in chess you have to think five moves ahead.

Building resilient students is not about teaching them how to become successful. Its about teaching them how to respond when theyre not successful. It's not about teaching them what to think but how to think. It teaches them that inordertogrow intellectually andemotionally they must recover and learnfrom losses.

Failure is motivating. Success can be paralyzing. We have to be OK with sort of getting out of that comfort zone and moving into the learning zone, which is close to the frustration zone.

Being an equity-focused teacher or leader is about finding out the needs of our students and giving them what they need to be successful. Chess is that tool. For many children who live in poverty or in struggling communities, their parents wont be able to afford to send them to Johns Hopkins for science camp or to Notre Dame for exchange programs. In communities where most students live at or below the poverty level, to have access to a program that will challenge their mind at a high level is rare.

Chess provides competitivegender equity. Susan Polgar, one of the first women grandmasters in the world, was running all-girls chess tournaments because she saw, even at her level, the need for attracting girls to the game. Now, that need for separategender based programs is not necessary Just to give them an environment where they can be comfortable exhibiting their greatness.

You can sit across from someone who may come from a family with access, power, privilege, and destroy them in this game. Chess eliminates the preconceived notions, all the biases, the judgment. Chess pits one's mental ability and skill against another's. Money, power and popularity don't matter in chess.

The best thing for students to do is learn through books and online platforms. But playing face to face provides opportunities for socialization which is so necessary today.

Thegoal of thechess enriched, critical thinking curriculum that we propose to bring to our schools doesnot have a goal to create a competitive chess player. We will give them the opportunity to develop that perseverance, that stamina, that self-esteem, that self-efficacy whichwillequip them for a successful life.

It isn't an entirely new and novel concept. Alabama is using the chess enriched curriculum approach and so is the state of New Hampshire. The European Union has pressed forward with initiatives stating that chess should be taught in schools as part of every educational curriculum.

Results from other countries empirically prove that students' literacy improves, scores in STEM subjects improve as well as behavior and emotional maturity. One would question why the reluctance to invest in such a program? Especially when the cost to develop a statewide program is less than the cost to fully equip a high school football team!

We are attempting to raise awareness with the public through a seriesof charity chess matches between the elected officials from local communities. One such match being pursued (challenges have been issued as of March 7) are between Hamilton officials and Rutherford County officials. If the challenge is accepted, Rutherford County may have a decided advantage as Mayor Joe Carr is an avid and excellent chess player!

I have alreadyreceiveda pledge from Marcus Lemonis, chairman of Camping World and television star of the show" TheProfit," of $5,000 for our program for children in thejuvenile detention center. This is a great start. We also have the attention of the executive producer of the movie "Critical Thinking" regarding our efforts. We are off to a promising start.

Our first moves have been solid. We nowmust plan and executea successful strategy. Now is the time to make sure our elected leaders hear from you that you desire programs that help develop good people whoarewell prepared for whatever comes their way. It is now up to the citizens to hold us accountable.

Rob Mitchell is a 30-plus-year resident of Rutherford County and avid chess player for more than 60 years.He has been involved as a parent volunteer for chess clubs for his children at Walter Hill Elementary and Siegel Middle. Mitchell is actively pursuing a chess program for at-risk children at the Rutherford County Juvenile Detention Center and has received a $5,000 pledge from Marcus Lemonis, chairman of Camping World. Mitchell has served as the elected property assessor for Rutherford County since 2012.

Read more from the original source:
Chess: Bringing a 'critical thinking' curriculum to students - Daily News Journal