Experience Summary
I have been playing chess since the age of 5. I lived and played in the U.S. as well as in France. In addition to playing, I have also been coaching scholastic chess since about 2005. My Middle School team won 5 consecutive city championships (Rochester, MN). We have also had several fourth place and one first place finishes in the Minnesota State Scholastic Championships and have had one state champion and a runner up in that time same period. It takes a good deal of work and dedication to become proficient at chess, but chess gives much back to its devotees. You make lifelong friends, sharpen your intellect, your focus, and your concentration in the process.
Teaching Style
I am fairly laid back. Above all else, I tell my kids that to be focused and to concentrate in chess requires a strong will to win, but winning is not everything. I think of chess as an art form. It takes two people to contribute to the beauty that is chess. Some of my most intellectually satisfying and artistic games have been losses, yet even in losing, I was able to contribute something meaningful and beautiful. Above all, my students seem to understand that when chess stops being fun, it is time to step back and reflect. In chess, the real opponent is one's self.
My Hobbies
Chess, photography, reading
Other Comments
I have a B.A. in journalism, an M.A. in cultural anthropology, and an M.A. in TESOL. I have lived in Africa and in Europe. In addition to coaching chess at John Adams Middle School and John Marshall High School, I also teach chess to "Newcomers" at Willow Creek Middle School in Rochester, MN. Newcomers are comprised of students who have either moved here seeking permanent residence (refugees) or whose parents or siblings (or they themselves) are undergoing medical treatment at the Mayo Clinic.