They want nothing to do with chess, or a chess club. They could care less about what I do with chess, even in the name of the school.
In the words of my principal, who was more concerned about not being fired that anything else at the time: “Our school has many other wonderful clubs. I do not see the need for a chess club.”
I even offerred the run the entire thing myself: all we’d need would be a teacher to keep order and keep people from killing each other, and a small, one-time amount of funding to pay for supplies. The school still could not care less.
Help me to convince my school to create a Chess Club!!
One thing that may help is to not ask for any money from the school. Instead, find some sponsorship or even do a simple fundraiser like a car wash.
If you can find a faculty sponsor yourself that would make it even simpler for the principal. It sounds like the principal doesn’t want anything that might require them to do anything. So make it as painless as possible for them.
If all else fails, have the chess club at a library, church or other place with a meeing room nearby. I know of some clubs that simply have to meet elsewhere due to non-supportive school faculty. Sad but true.
The good news is that meeting elsewhere may allow you to open the club up to a larger group, including kids from other public schools, church schools, and even home schoolers. The largest club in my town is one that was formed because a church school declined to have it on their premisis, due to the parent organizer not being a church member. They then opened it up to other church school students and home schoolers. First, they met in a room at the local library. They quickly outgrew the library room and moved to a church that was more supportive. They meet from 3:30 to 4:45 on Fridays.
As it turns out, the kids from the church that wouldn’t allow the club won a 1st place team trophy for the the church last weekend. The new principal there now thinks a chess club would be a great idea.
There’s always more than one way to skin a cat.
Mike Swatek
Oklahoma Scholastic Chess Organization
A few things. First, if you know enough kids in the school want one, have them get together. Prinicpals should offer student-sponsored clubs and organizations that have proper oversight, which you have offered. You may need to get the help of a teacher or administrator also. Schools like to have a person connected with the school there just in case something happens. I can’t blame them. Your last avenue that is always available (and I emphasize last because it could get the principal mad, which can be counterproductive) is going before the equivelent of the school board.
Second, explain to them the benefits of chess and that the same part of the brain that chess uses is also responsible for logic. Chess and geometry and logic all go together. Math, science, and computer skills are known to be higher in those who participate in chess.
You can also explain to him this is an example of how to make learning fun. Sitting in a math class can be boring (it wasn’t to me but it can be). Being able to actively see the uses of it is something else entirely! I never saw the advantage of geometry except for road signs before chess. I thank my elementary teacher who introduced me to it.
Lastly, this is also a time for fellowship. You can affiliate it, get a TD, and run scholastic tournaments. I have done that once. Everyone has a great time. The prizes are secondary to the fun.
One personal opinion. If you got students who are in a club and all they care about are rating points, they don’t belong there. Chess is about the fun of the game and not the rating!
When you make the claim the principle is concered about being fired, and needing a teacher to keep the scholastic chess players from killing each other. It does hurt you’re case, making the school out in a negitive view.
Can understand you’re principals frame of mind. Public schools are facing state budget cut backs, making other sports programs needing to cut there budgets. With college and public schools needing to be close to the law with ‘Title 9’, college and public schools chess programs are the first to go. Since chess clubs would be placed under a sports program, for some departmental standings from state to state. As chess clubs have more male then female players, it has been a ‘Title 9’ problem since the law came on the books. Even if you spent all your money without a cent from the school, with the state and federal goverment looking on ways to cut red ink. If the school becomes the official sponsor they could lose out on more tax dollars then you can dream over.
Just go outside of the school and build a chess club. There are other buildings then the school to have one.
Try to get a few friends or other interested students to join your cause. I’m sure they have stupid clubs like the Knitting club.
Even if they still are against it, you can simply host it at your house and get your TD license and run your own tournaments. You should be able to find scholastic tournaments around your state and still have your own team.
Do not think the Principal is closed minded. As most schools are facing budget cuts, there is not much room to expand programs, when others are being cut.
Budgets are irrelevant. I’ve volunteered for free many times. It’s just a lame excuse because the Principal is close minded. How much does it cost to run a club? Almost nothing, the students could come up with $50 to get a bunch of cheap USCF sets.
Then you would not mind to volunteer as the jainter of the after school program. Or volunteer to pay the extra insurance for this after school program. Since its’ also called a sport, and to make sure that ‘Title 9’ is correct, in the need to have equal boys and equal girls in the student body. Talking about ‘Title 9’ should be a good subject but not in this debate.
Even if a chess player like you Thunderchicken, or myself want to volunteer our time at a local school scholastic program. The first and most important factor from the Principal or the parents and teachers. Why does a adult male want to teach chess to children? If I volunteer my free time to the scholastic program, then volunteer my own income to purchase equipment for the scholastic program. Would not the Principal and parents start to ask – what is the personal gain of this volunteer.
Do not know the author of this Topic. Making a claim of needing a teacher to keep order, and keep people (students) from killing each other. Are the students killing each other when the teachers are not around? If you can show a cause and effect that chess has an impact on the crime rate. That statement did hurt his case.
I’m just curious when the last time you were in school, or helped out a school?
The point is simple: The student doesn’t have to go through the school to play chess with his friends. They can go over to his house and play there.
You don’t have to have a sponsorship of a principal to play.
Chess isn’t a sport. Don’t compare it to budgets, etc since we’re not talking about $60 required uniforms here.
What’s the gain of a volunteer? Huh? Are you serious? Do you volunteer to gain money? Heck no, you volunteer for the love of the game and to get more players involved in the community.
Teaching children a game that’s changed my life is reward enough for me.
I’d rather give my time and knowledge of the game instead of forking over money to a school that will probably misuse the funds.
I guess volunteering at a homeless shelter is a horrible idea to you as well, isn’t it? Yea, what’s the point if you don’t gain?
Give me a break man. You volunteer because you want to do good in the community, not make money.
Since I have my own money to give out, why not do it to a cause I like? Maybe your goals for your chess club you post on here every week is different. I really don’t care.
You are a freaking moron if you compare me to Michael Jackson. Maybe you look at children as a pedaphile, but I don’t. You really make me sick.
That’s why they run criminal checks. Just because someone doesn’t have any kids or a wife or whatever doesn’t mean they’re a child molester.
I still think you need to seek some professional help. I’m not trying to be rude, but for you to compare me to Michael Jackson is literally insane. You don’t know me, you don’t know if I’m married, or if I have kids.
Personally, I have no criminal record.
The point is a kid wants to play chess. He can simply get friends over at his house and play all he wants. No adults are required.
If the principal is close minded, that’s his problem. There’s nothing proventing these kids from playing at their house, or at other scholastic tournaments.
Maybe you should get your mind out of the gutter and start thinking logically man. It’s truly sad.
The statement about Mr Jackson was not a personal attack on you. The statement about you was in one sentence, and the statement of Mr Jackson was in the other. There are people out there, that would use scholastic chess to get closer to children. I do not know what you want to do with a scholastic student, since I do not know I have no understanding.
When I said “to keep kids from killing each other”, I did not mean that literally. Our school has a rule that there needs to be a teacher present to run a club of any sort. A teacher FROM the school, not a specific chess teacher, as I may have accidentally implied. I don’t know the total level of chess interest in my school, but I keep finding interested players often. I’m the best in my school anyway, theres no real challenge. I think the best player in the school after me is about 1100.
As for portraying the school in a negative light, our school WAS portrayed in a very negative light by the news media last year. When I mentioned that the principal was more concerned with not being fired, I meant that literally. Do a google search for “Mepham High School.”
I believe you owe Thunderchicken an apology or I will ban you from posting on this forum.
Your posts are poorly written, rude, obnoxious and often completely off-topic. Please learn how to post in a more productive manner if you wish to continue to have posting privileges here.
What you need to do is bump it up higher. Check first with your activities director at the district level. Then if you need to, go on up to the school board. See if you can find some other scholastic chess clubs and ask them to help you prepare a presentation for the activities director or school board. Look for aticles about how chess helps students.
Try to find material that shows how chess benefits students and can, with enough publicity, bring some positive news to the school when your team does well at tournaments.
yea, I just read EVERYTHING (even though the personal attacks could have been left out) and I think they covered pretty much everything. I didn’t even go to the school for permision, but I started one outside of the school. They don’t have to do anyhting, and we don’t need a teacher. As for supplies, I don’t think yu need any supplies as you will find that most chess players have a set or two at home (or, like me, might have about 10 picked up from yard sales). Supplies are only needed if you get like 10 or more students and want to teach them (rather than just play chess). Then a demo board would be nice, but the members could chip in the $25 needed for that. Also, try raising support. The Scottsboro Chess club will probably send a team to states this year, and I think we can easily raise the $200-$300 that will be needed to finance the trip and fees. Just do everything yourself, because if you ask the school to do, it will never get done
I hate bureaucracy too, but I would give the following advice.
If you plan to call yourselves the Mepham High School Chess Club, you ought to have a faculty sponsor, not so much for financial reasons, but to give an official connection to the club. You have to understand that we adults like to control most of what you kids do. If there is credit or blame to go around for some reason or other, it may be better if an adult had some responsibility. It’d be nice to find an ally on the faculty to promote your cause to the higher-ups. If you had designs on sending a team to an official USCF tournament in the future, this may be a necessary evil. However, it sounds like the culture of at least one adult in your area is to avoid taking on additional responsibility, so lots of luck.
On the other hand, if you’re going to be the Gol-Darned Independent Chess Club, then by all means, avoid the red tape.
