Pandemics, Kids and Chess

This week, ChessKid CEO Carey Fan ponders the challenges of 2020 and highlights two amazing enrichment programs at opposite ends of the globe.   

Normally at this time of year, Learning Bee would be sprawling with kids, their laughter and voices filling the halls.  Kids would be solving robotics challenges, putting the finishing touches on their artwork or practicing their dance moves.  

But this year is different for the k-6 after school program in Fremont, California.  For 17 years, Learning Bee has been a model for success.  Toward the front entrance, a neatly printed sign proudly displays their motto: inspiring passion for lifelong learning.  

 

About 1 year ago at Learning Bee 

 

Most Learning Bee students are already good academic students, but to Ms. Wong, success and happiness is a lot more than getting good grades.  “It’s not just about math and English.  It’s about life skills and problem solving and creating connections,” she explains.  

But then the pandemic hit.  And everything changed.   

This situation felt personal... 

For yours truly, this would’ve been my kids’ graduation year at Learning Bee.  For Kaiden and Jordan, both 6th graders, Learning Bee has been a huge part of their lives-- just as impactful as their regular school.  

 

Kaiden and Jordan enjoy a casual game at home. They got started with chess at Learning Bee.

 

It was the place they learned how to do hip hop moves.  The place they learned how to sculpt.  The place they started playing chess.  It was there that they made new friends, built confidence, and gained a broader perspective about the world around them.  

But the pandemic took that away from them.  And us.  

For our family, Learning Bee was an oasis...a way for my wife & I to go about our working lives and feel good knowing that Ms. Grace and her band of passionate teachers were not only managing our kids, but truly helping to mold them into happy, productive little citizens.  

 

Mr. Aaron and his proud students, Zoya and Krithi

No, graduating from Learning Bee isn’t the same as finishing high school.  It’s different.  For my kids, it was their miniature life ecosystem. Their bridge between the innocence of elementary school and the big kids’ world of junior high.  But the pandemic took that away from us.  And I couldn’t help but feel a little cheated. 

Online is the new normal

Hundreds of after school programs across the country have already been forced to shutter their businesses.  Still, some programs like Learning Bee stare defiantly at the spectre of the pandemic and have gone virtual for most of their enrichment classes.  

“We are definitely not succumbing to COVID-19,” says the determined founder, Grace Wong.  “It’s my top priority to take care of my staff and my students. They’re all part of my family."

The new normal. School has been taught online for months, now.  

Still, it’s a daunting challenge.  

Chess was just one of many fun, ‘life skills’ activities kids could pursue at Learning Bee.  “I’m not a chess teacher myself, but I know it teaches things like strategic thinking...and it’s a lifelong skill they can enjoy,” said Ms. Wong.  But how would Learning Bee continue to virtually offer stimulating activities for its kids?

Virtual healing

I've been feeling anxious about Learning Bee.  Despite Ms. Grace’s dogged determination, a big part of me wondered about Learning Bee’s future.  But then I realized that maybe I could help keep them afloat in some small way.  That’s when I asked if I could host weekly chess enrichment classes for Learning Bee on ChessKid.  

Learning Bee could generate a little extra revenue, kids would have a great time, and it would be a kind of catharsis for me, filling some of the void left by my own kids being unable to physically attend.  Hey, I’ll take a win-win-win any time, even if they’re miniature victories.

Ms. Wong agreed with my proposal.  Five weeks in, and it has turned out great!  My little cohort of enthusiastic 6-9 year olds has been fantastic.  Most of my kids are up to Bishop 3 and are regularly solving several puzzles on their own.

 

Nishka ponders her move on ChessKid

In one of my classes, I ask Nishka to come up with a move in a pretty complicated position.  She takes a breath and goes deep into thought for 13 seconds before finally saying, “I want to move the rook back to h1 to defend the pawn.  There are no defenders on the pawn, and it’s being attacked by the black knight.”  

It’s not the best move in the position, but I am duly impressed by the 6-year old’s ability to articulate her thinking process in a clear and logical way.  I’m proud that she remembered our week 1 lesson about not hanging your own pieces.  And I praise the way she explained her reasoning to the rest of the class.  

Later, I have the class yell out moves as we practice a king & queen checkmate.  By now, the class has learned Funmaster Mike’s lesson of moving the queen a “knight’s move away” from the enemy king until you’ve got him locked up at the very edge of the board. 

 

My class goes through Computer Workouts together. Here, we work on King+Q mate.  

“D3….e4….f5,” most of them say in unison.  Yes, chess has gone completely virtual for Learning Bee.  But the kids are enjoying learning the game, and I’m feeling better about things overall.  

Meanwhile, 7903 miles away...

Meanwhile, halfway across the globe in Nigeria, Tunde Onakoya is dealing with challenges of his own.  He runs Chess in Slums, a volunteer chess learning organization focused on using chess as a tool to help at-risk youth.  Through chess, several of Onakoya’s students have received academic sponsorships.  In Nigeria, only 1 in 5 kids gets real academic opportunities that most families and children in the US take for granted.  

I’ve always believed in the power of chess as a force for good.  But Chess in Slums actively practices it.  

Tunde teaches his class how to understand the squares on a chessboard

“We’ve been able to secure academic sponsorships for 15 kids and counting,” he says proudly.  “It is my dream to spread what we do because I have seen how chess can change lives.”

Onakoya’s passion for chess is obvious.  One of the top 30 players in Nigeria, the 26-year old master is grateful for how it changed his life.  “I was lucky because I got a sponsorship when I was young.  And I want other kids to have that chance, too.”

 

Chess in Slums students enthusiastically give their answer

Just like it affected enrichment programs in the US, the pandemic has been unyielding in other parts of the world.  “It forced us to close down our chess learning center for now.  So we have had to teach our kids electronically.  But it’s not just the pandemic.  There’s also been problems of police brutality here,” he says quietly in our Zoom call.  “It hasn’t been safe for many families to work, and being able to afford food is also a problem.”  

When I first started working with Chess in Slums a few weeks ago, their needs were clear: raise money to help repair the learning center.  Procure more furniture.  Get reliable internet.  Buy more chess sets.  Basically, get it up to a standard where kids could learn effectively.  

But Onakoya says that some of the donations his organization receives is now being set aside for food.  

Access to food has become a challenge with COVID19 lockdowns and furloughed laborers 

“I wish we didn’t have to use some of the money for food.  But how can my kids learn chess if they cannot even eat.”  Despite the challenges, Onakoya retains optimism.  “Eventually things will get back to normal, and all of my kids can start enjoying chess and ChessKid again,” he laughs.  

Perspective

Seeing firsthand how the pandemic has affected beloved local businesses like Learning Bee has been tough.  Selfishly, part of me wants things to return to normalcy faster so that my own kids can experience a smooth, normal transition to junior high school.  

The pandemic has taken away graduations.  It has robbed children of real physical connection with others at a time that it’s so critical.  And it has heightened the anxiety of an already anxious nation.  But talking to Tunde Onakoya for an hour left me with a deeper sense of perspective.  Yes, I’m frustrated that my kids can’t add to their hip hop move repertoire...frustrated that they can’t physically connect with their Learning Bee playmates...frustrated that they won’t physically graduate…

Yet I’m profoundly grateful that they are healthy.  They don’t have to worry about where their next meal comes from.  They’re able to learn chess simply for the appreciation of the game, and not as a means to gain access to education.   

Making Connections

When I told Grace Wong that I was working with a Nigerian NGO, she explained how things had truly come full circle for her.  “I actually spent two years of my life living in Nigeria when I was a child,” says an excited Ms. Wong.  When her health deteriorated, she was forced to move back to Hong Kong.  “But I still have fond, vivid memories of there,” she said.  

Despite Learning Bee’s current financial situation, Ms. Wong is donating a generous portion of her chess tuition proceeds to Chess in Slums.  “I really love what they stand for,” she says.  Grace has been an ardent supporter and financial contributor for social impact programs for many years.  

 

Pre COVID19. Learning Bee founder Grace Wong stands proudly with her students at an education fundraiser

 

When told of this, Tunde said “Please let her know that we are deeply appreciative and humbled by her generosity, and that our chess classes should connect some day.”

The kids of Learning Bee meet the kids of Chess in Slums.  We will definitely make it happen one day! Thank you both for sharing your stories of struggle and hope.

How you can help 

Education enrichment programs like Chess in Slums and Learning Bee are under severe pressure due to the coronavirus pandemic.  

To help Chess in Slums, donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-nigerian-kids-in-chess-in-slums-program-eat

To help Learning Bee, sign your kid up for a class here: www.learningbeeusa.com.