{"id":11508,"date":"2018-12-09T20:04:22","date_gmt":"2018-12-10T01:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/?p=11508"},"modified":"2019-06-20T13:10:28","modified_gmt":"2019-06-20T17:10:28","slug":"learning-life-lessons-through-chess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/?p=11508","title":{"rendered":"Learning Life Lessons Through Chess"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chess has been a game changer for one student at the LINK(Linking Instruction\/ Nurturing Knowledge)\u00a0Club. Once quick to anger and prone to fighting, Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School fifth-grader Jakodi now sees there are consequences to every decision he makes. <\/span><\/p>\n

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I used to fight, get in trouble and have to take anger management because I would get upset at little things when they weren\u2019t that big at all. But, chess helps me think. Should I do this, or should I do this, before I do anything,\u201d Jakodi said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jakodi\u2019s friend Carlos, also a fifth-grader, taught him the game while at the LINK Club, an after-school enrichment program at Brent Place Apartments where K-5 student residents and ACPS teachers come together at the end of the day for tutoring and mentoring in a friendly atmosphere. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Site Coordinator Dawud Rawlings saw an opportunity to engage with students and offering an alternative to video games. <\/span><\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve seen a huge difference in students\u2019 critical thinking, math skills and behavior toward each other since they\u2019ve taken up chess. They\u2019re participating more and displaying better sportsmanship toward each other,\u201d Rawlings said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Students are starting to feel the affects of playing chess outside of the club, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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It\u2019s helping me to do my homework and calms me down. I still get angry sometimes but I\u2019m working on it and chess seems to be helping me a lot.\u201d Jakodi said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Rawlings is so pleased with chess at LINK that he\u2019s thought of trying to move it into the schools during lunches. <\/span><\/p>\n

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If done during the middle of the school, it can help kids complete the day. Even if they\u2019re having a rough day, they can end the day on a positive note … I can use that time to find out what things they might be struggling with and it\u2019s all applied to the game of chess. Chess really does apply to everyday living situations,” Rawlings said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

LINK is funded through a three-year grant from the Department of Education and in collaboration with the non-profit housing developer Homes for America. It\u00a0offers include project-based learning opportunities, enrichment activities, field trips, and social and emotional support services. Students\u2019 families also have access to onsite training designed to increase involvement in their child\u2019s education and improve their overall quality of life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Keep up with the happenings at the LINK Club by following @LINKclubACPS on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n