In working with students who struggle in school, I begin from day one praising their strengths. I tell them that grades in school only show a small piece of what a person is capable of.
Schools focus primarily on language and mathematical ability. If you are not gifted in these areas, school will be a challenge.
It does not mean that one is stupid, however. There are many people who have been tremendously successful in life, yet struggled in school.
The reason for this is that the world needs people who are talented in many areas, from sports, to arts, to having people skills - just to name a few. I tell my students that the challenge we face together is finding out where their gifts are.
There are a number of things we do to help students find their gifts.
We do interest and career inventories and we send them out on work experience, for example.
I am always trying to improve my program, so I am always on the lookout for good ideas. Knowing that many students who struggle in school are divergent thinkers, meaning that their minds are constantly moving in several directions, I have begun using the game of chess in the classroom. This has brought about many unforeseen benefits.
First of all, playing chess can improve a young person's confidence. They realize that they are good at it. I'm sure that it feels good to catch a person with a university degree off guard with a creative move.
More importantly, and this is something that I did not predict, playing games like chess builds relationships.
It is said that people don't care what you know until they know that you care. I can talk all day about giftedness, but until I have established a trust relationship with a student I am not going to be an effective teacher.
In playing a game of chess I find that some students talk to me more than they have all year. I am finally able to connect with them.
It is also true that the students who benefit most from school are those who are able to connect to their school community, and playing games like chess also helps students build relationships with each other.
I spoke to another teacher who was looking for ways to bring her students into the school culture in a positive way. We decided to combine our classes for an afternoon and hold a chess tournament in the central area of our school.
What happened was amazing.
Students passing through took an interest in what we were doing. School administrators started to join us, and even the school mascot stopped by.
All of this happened because of a discussion I had with another teacher who knew that one of my students loved chess. It is amazing what happens when we really listen to each other and build connections.
We are able to create what is called synergy.
Different people with different talents, like the students I teach, come together and create something amazing.
