Chess is a renowned game, and Patrick McGann hopes it could change students’ ideology and improve students through coaching in chess, every Wednesday, during chess club at Iselin Middle School.
McGann, a multi-talented football coach, world history teacher, and Chess Club instructor, who inspires many students, is a gregarious person. Chess is not a game for him, but it’s more personal. He hopes students can adapt to chess and improve.
He started playing chess a long time ago, and just like football, he values it. And as a teacher Mcgann thinks it’s a great thing that students are getting into chess. He posits that he had started chess because of a former student, with whom they shared an interest in chess.
“Chess is a good game to learn; you can learn a lot from it,” said McGann. “It keeps the brain sharp, and I think it’s a much more productive way to spend time, if you like games.”
But as a football coach and world history teacher, he has a lot of insight into students, and can understand better than most about students at school, and feels that being social can change you, and chess can aid you in many factors to improve school life.
“I think it’s a great place to come and be social, it’s a good place to come and get familiar with one another,” said Mcgann “ I think being involved in any school program will make life better for people. You always see kids improve by being around people with similar interests.”
In recent years, chess has skyrocketed in popularity among students, with some going as far as banning the popular website, chess.com. Although it may seem that chess supports a lack of attention in school, it’s actually the opposite.
Numerous articles and studies show how chess improves young people’s cognitive skills, self-esteem, and decision-making. The amount of benefits for a person is ongoing.
Despite the clear upsides, proven by many, kids remain reluctant due to bullying and the need to fit in. Chess is widely corresponded to intellectual stereotypes, and at a young age, the need to fit in and have friends is stronger than ever, but as you mature, the feeling goes away. But Chess offers the most benefits while the brain is young, and so it’s highly recommended to play chess at a ripe age for the most fruitful results.
But not only that, but it also opens up the mind and strengthens it emotionally; it can also create new positive communities, as McGann had said.
“It helps 8th, 7th, and 6th graders have an opportunity to meet each other and make friends. They can interact with new people, and this, it can create new social circles among students,” said McGann.
Playing chess at a young age is strongly recommended, and you never know, it may be a life-changing point for you, offering many benefits and opportunities, especially at Iselin.
