How FunMasterMike And ChessKid Make Teaching Chess Easier Than Ever
Did you know that FunMasterMike used to be a teacher? He taught chess in classrooms in New York City and Charlotte for over a decade, between 2001 and 2013! Before he became the FunMasterMike that we all know and love (despite his dad jokes), he was spreading the joy of chess and inspiring kids to become great chess players as part of their school curriculum.Well, recently Mike decided to get back to his roots: teaching in front of a classroom! This time, however, he had a great new tool that he didn't have back in the day: ChessKid. With ChessKid's lessons and puzzles (all bundled up into the handy free ChessKid Lesson Planner), anyone can teach a class how to play chess - even regular 'non-chess' teachers who don't have official FunMaster titles.
"I'm a strong believer in chess as a curriculum subject that can and should be taught during the school day. But I'm aware we have a labor problem! There just aren't enough chess teachers in the world. That's why we created the lesson planner, so that any teacher in the world can be confident in teaching the game."
- FM Mike Klein (a.k.a. FunMasterMike)
It had been a while since our hero had taught chess in front of a live and slightly hyperactive young audience. Have you ever tried to get a bunch of excited kids to sit still and listen quietly for more than a few seconds? It's a lot harder than you may think! You can imagine that Mike might have even been a little nervous...
... But that didn't last long. As soon as the video and chess lesson began, the kids were absolutely glued to the screen, and listening closely to all of Mike's stories and explanations. One of the great benefits of chess for kids is that it teaches them to focus, in this case almost instantly!
More than just learning how to focus (and how to play chess), the kids also learned a bunch of new words: "absolute" and "relative" are some of the fancier ones that they learned on the day. And rest assured, once you realize that you've made a move putting your opponent into an "absolute" pin, that's a word you'll never forget!
Of course, the video that FunMasterMike showed featured his own voice, which the kids were very entertained by. They actually assumed that Mike must have a twin brother who sounds exactly the same!
"Don't tell my fellow chess teachers this, but in many ways, classroom teachers are MORE qualified to teach chess than us; they have all the training and experience with classroom management and other areas that make them effective in their everyday roles."
- FM Mike Klein (a.k.a. FunMasterMike)
Chess is proven to help with the development of kids, from STEM-related skills and increased focus to simply learning how to play nicely with others. Many teachers might not think they're equipped to teach the game of chess, but they couldn't be further from the truth.
You don't need to be an expert; the ChessKid Lesson Planner will hold your hand throughout the process and introduce you to the concepts as you go along. As a classroom teacher, all you need to do is follow the lessons, be a little amazed at how quiet your class has gotten all of a sudden, and enjoy.
Whether you're a teacher yourself, a parent, or even a student, why not propose teaching chess in your class?
Check out the ChessKid Lesson Planner to help guide your class through their very own chess adventure. There's also a FREE ChessKid curriculum with 20+ lessons to make teaching chess a breeze.