Why Utah’s new Teacher of the Year wants his students of color to play chess – Salt Lake Tribune
Posted: October 6, 2020 at 9:54 pm
When John Arthur brings his students to the states annual chess competition, he can guess how theyll react. They dont ooh and aah over the fancy chess boards with glass pieces. And theyre not focused on how big or cool the convention space is.
Instead, they look around at the other students and one of them will say something like: Were the only brown kids here. And theyre often right, Arthur said.
Its part of why Arthur, who is Korean, takes his class to the tournament each year. Most of his sixth graders at Meadowlark Elementary in downtown Salt Lake City are kids of color. And he wants them to learn that they belong and can claim those spaces as their own, he said, especially where they have not traditionally been represented.
Its a proud moment for me," Arthur said, when I see them take charge at the competition anyway.
Arthur is in his eighth year of teaching at Meadowlark. Many educators leave the west-side school after completing their first three provisional years on the job, he noted, and transfer to the east side. But Arthur said he loves the opportunity to teach students who look like him and to give them opportunities, like chess and debate, that they might not traditionally have.
And on Thursday largely because of that dedication his students got to watch as this time he won his own competition and was crowned Utahs Teacher of the Year.
Wow. Are you kidding me? Arthur asked as the state superintendent sneaked up behind him while he was teaching his class on Zoom. She carried a big check for $10,000 and a bouquet of balloons.
The kids' faces lit up on the screen, with several clapping. Congrats, they shouted. Good job, Captain, added one boy, calling the teacher by the nickname the kids have for him. Arthur choked back tears as he paced back and forth between the superintendent and the students on the screen, not sure if he should keep teaching the reading lesson hed started.
To accept the honor, though, he was asked to say a few words in a separate video call with members of the Utah Board of Education. So his students took a quick recess, and Arthur threw on the tuxedo jacket he wore at his wedding. He said his mom, Suka, bought it for him with the hopes that hed wear it again when I won an Oscar or did something like that, he said with a laugh. This is as close as Im going to get.
As one of five finalists, Arthur had packed the jacket with him to his classroom Thursday on the off chance he won which he didnt think would happen, so on bottom, he still wore a pair of gym shorts. Still surprised at the honor, he told the board members, Im COVID chic.
In seriousness, though, he said: Children are the best people, and teaching is the best job. Theres just no better way to spend the day.
His focus, he said, has been on helping students of color succeed because he believes theyre often left behind. Hes served for years as the Asian American representative on the state boards access committee, which advises on education equity policies. With his role as Teacher of the Year, he intends to advocate for more minorities in the states teaching force, as well as more culturally responsive practices in the classroom.
When kids come back post-COVID, I want them to see teachers who look more like them, he added. And weve just got to make sure that were constantly shining a light on kids who might otherwise be forgotten.
Growing up, he said, he was a shy Korean boy who didnt often speak up in class. It wasnt until middle school that Arthur had a teacher who focused on him and tried to get him involved in academics. At that point, his ninth grade teacher, Mrs. Anderson, pushed him to join the Model United Nations club. It changed his trajectory, Arthur said. And thats what he hopes to do for his students with chess which he teaches on the first day of class each year.
I feel this award is so well deserved, Utah Board of Education member Janet Cannon commented on the videoconference.
With the title, Arthur also gets a trip to Washington, D.C., to meet President Donald Trump and the chance to compete for the title of national Teacher of the Year. He succeeds last years Utah Teacher of the Year, Lauren Merkley, and will stand next to Rae Boren from Copper Hills High and Emma Moss from Eastmont Middle School, who were named runners-up.
Thanks for all you do, all of you, added member Cindy Davis.
We sacrifice our bodies and minds and souls, Arthur added. We give everything in service to our kids and to the education of our students.
He teaches in Salt Lake City School District, the only one in the state to have started classes entirely online this fall. He jokes that hes a lot more like Tom Cruise in Minority Report now, with all the technology hes hooked up to while hes instructing. But hes glad the district prioritized safety, and he tries to incorporate a lot of the same things he would if his class was in person.
For one, he carries a camera around the classroom so students get a sense of what it looks like. The biggest thing he wants them to see are the posters hes hung up. There are pictures of towering mountain peaks, some covered in snow, others with a line of climbers making the way to the top.
Its because Arthurs mantra for the class is: We climb, we rise, we help.
His goal for his students is to teach them to work hard to get to the mountaintop, both in class and life. But they all have to assist one another and reach it together. No lesson is done until everyone in the room understands. If one student finishes the math assignment early, the expectation is that she finds another kid who would like her help. If a student is struggling, Arthur reminds him that he only gets to the peak step by step.
He is not a normal teacher, Felicia Raybourne, the mother of one of Arthurs former students, wrote in his nomination for Teacher of the Year. He is there to help kids through life. He makes sure his students understand everything they are learning no matter how much extra time it takes.
When the class completes a lesson together, Arthur declares: Champs, we made it to the top of the mountain. His student call him The Captain because of that. And he calls them his crew.
He lets them pick out their own nicknames, too. Part of that is to have fun. Part of it is to let them embrace who they want to be, he said. One girl goes by Gucci Banana. Theres also a kid that likes to be called Bacon, one named Beef and another called Shadow.
When you have a Big Boi 27 in your class, its hard not to smile, Arthur said. But it gives you a little bit of confidence. When I step in the building, for instance, Im The Captain. Its like an alter ego or a superhero. I want to empower these kids to feel the same.
He also shows them clips about hard work from Cool Hand Luke and runs a YouTube channel where his class annually makes a music video. And its also got clips of them discovering bugs, smashing eggs in a science project and dancing in the classroom.
He loves the district, he said, and wants to see it improve. And he wants all students to get the education they deserve.
Winning Teacher of the Year, he said with a laugh, is kind of like the next move in the chess game to accomplishing those goals.
Read more here:
Why Utah's new Teacher of the Year wants his students of color to play chess - Salt Lake Tribune
- Here's How to Play Chess by Mail, and What Movies to Watch to Get Your Game Going - Willamette Week - November 22nd, 2020
- So Defeats Duda With Incredible 3|1 Performance In Speed Chess - Chess.com - November 22nd, 2020
- The art of chess: a brief history of the World Championship - TheArticle - November 22nd, 2020
- Humpys Gambit: How Koneru disturbed the male-dominated status quo in chess - The Indian Express - November 22nd, 2020
- Cardinals QB Kyler Murray might be the best chess player in the NFL - Sporting News - November 22nd, 2020
- The Queen's Gambit On Netflix - All The Info - Chess.com - November 22nd, 2020
- Washington state team crowned national chess champions - KING5.com - November 22nd, 2020
- On Chess: Mizzou's Chess Team Proves Capable Of Winning Even In A Virtual Space - St. Louis Public Radio - November 22nd, 2020
- Outlawing heading would turn football into chess but game has to act to break dementia link - The Times - November 22nd, 2020
- Understanding before Moving 2: How to improve the activity of my pieces - Chessbase News - November 22nd, 2020
- Local Event: Thanksgiving Chess Camp For The Little Ones ~ Keep Em Active 😉 - Patch.com - November 22nd, 2020
- How Dama's Gambito nailed the chess world re:Jerusalem - re:Jerusalem - November 22nd, 2020
- Packers will have an interesting chess match against the Colts defense - Acme Packing Company - November 22nd, 2020
- Chess Online: How to Play and Win Chess | Chess Tips & Strategies - Popular Mechanics - October 6th, 2020
- On Chess: Returning To Over The Board Chess Tournaments - St. Louis Public Radio - October 6th, 2020
- October Cover Stories with Chess Life: GM Maurice Ashley - uschess.org - October 6th, 2020
- 'Audiences wont have seen anything like this': how Iranian film Chess of the Wind was reborn - The Guardian - October 6th, 2020
- CCPS hosting in-person chess tournament, limited to students in Grades 4-12 - The Southern Maryland Chronicle - October 6th, 2020
- Its more natural for men to pick chess as an interest or women to pick arranging flowers - Mint - October 6th, 2020
- Gone too soon: Brimfield teen remembered as jokester and expert chess player - Pekin Daily Times - October 6th, 2020
- Meet these mini-grandmasters of chess - two brothers from Cork - EchoLive.ie - October 6th, 2020
- Carlsen and So tie in Chess 9LX tournament - Stabroek News - October 6th, 2020
- Sacred squares and foolish horses - Chessbase News - October 6th, 2020
- More than 100 players start at the Fagernes Open - Chessbase News - October 6th, 2020
- Russias Post-Covid Economic Policies Will Be a Game of Chess - ETF Trends - September 23rd, 2020
- The Only Problem In Fischer Random Chess - Chess.com - September 23rd, 2020
- AlphaZero (And Other!) Chess Variants Now Available For Everyone - Chess.com - September 23rd, 2020
- On the origins of chess (7/7) - Chessbase News - September 23rd, 2020
- Ten Years of Chess Innovation. How Lichess grew from a simple tech | by Samuel Sullivan | SUPERJUMP | Sep, 2020 - Medium - September 23rd, 2020
- Mechanics' to Host U.S. Cadet National Championship this Weekend - uschess.org - September 23rd, 2020
- Guess the child prodigy - Chessbase News - September 23rd, 2020
- Blitz Tournament of the Americas: Bringing Cultures and Communities Together Through Chess - uschess.org - September 23rd, 2020
- Int'l online chess event to mark 74th birthday of PM Hasina - Dhaka Tribune - September 23rd, 2020
- Road To The PCL Finals: China Pandas - Chess.com - September 23rd, 2020
- CHESS Health Selected by Next Step Community, an Addiction Recovery Program Located in Terre Haute, Indiana - PR Web - September 23rd, 2020
- The True Story Behind Critical Thinking, Movie Based in Miami - Miami New Times - September 23rd, 2020
- DeepMind's AI is helping to re-write the rules of chess - ZDNet - September 15th, 2020
- The 10 Best Chess Moves Of All Time - Chess.com - September 15th, 2020
- The classic game of chess has found a new home: Twitch - The Next Web - September 15th, 2020
- John Leguizamo on bringing the 'intellectual hustle' of chess to life - Page Six - September 15th, 2020
- On Chess: St. Louis Chess Club To Host Two Upcoming Online Chess Tournaments Featuring The World's Top Grandmasters - St. Louis Public Radio - September 15th, 2020
- Chess.com Teams Up With CLG For First CLG Arena With $2,100 In Prizes - Chess.com - September 15th, 2020
- Indian chess team celebrates its Olympiad victory with a special Twitter Chat - WION - September 15th, 2020
- Nihal Beats Tang In Junior Speed Chess Championship - Chess.com - September 15th, 2020
- An interview with Ben Johnson, the perpetual podcaster - Chessbase News - September 15th, 2020
- Auto Brawl Chess from Panoramik Games is available now for iOS following its Android launch earlier this year - Pocket Gamer - September 15th, 2020
- A game of chess in the Himalayas - The Hindu - September 15th, 2020
- Reward Olympiad-winning Indian team: Chess Forum appeals to Kiren Rijiju - Moneycontrol.com - September 15th, 2020
- Retired Chess Grandmaster, AlphaZero AI Reinvent Chess - Science Times - September 15th, 2020
- Sign Of The Times - Sparta Chess Online - TAPinto.net - September 15th, 2020
- Chinas check on Indias chess board: New Delhi will have to fall back on its own resources - The Times of India Blog - September 15th, 2020
- Chess masters make all the smart moves - IOL - September 15th, 2020
- Hennessy Spotlights Living Legend and International Chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley In Latest Chapter of Award-Winning "Wild Rabbit"... - September 15th, 2020
- 'He is a chess player on a tennis court' - ATP star tipped to beat anyone - Tennishead - September 15th, 2020
- Just the Rules: New Internet Chess RulesEssential Player Tips - uschess.org - August 20th, 2020
- Norway Chess Oct. 5-16 With Reduced Field Of Participants - Chess.com - August 20th, 2020
- We're In the Chess Renaissance - Chess Daily News - August 20th, 2020
- Norway Chess to be 1st over-the-board super-tournament since March - chess24 - August 20th, 2020
- On the origins of chess (6/7) - Chessbase News - August 20th, 2020
- Humpy: China will pose tough challenge in Chess Olympiad - Sportstar - August 20th, 2020
- The Next PogChamps: All The Information - Chess.com - August 20th, 2020
- Sarajevo Q&A: Ru Hasanov on how a real-life story inspired chess drama 'The Island Within' - Screen International - August 20th, 2020
- Chess Federation expecting White verdict this week | Sports - Jamaica Gleaner - August 20th, 2020
- The Best in... Aruba - Chessbase News - August 20th, 2020
- Chess: Why hasnt India produced another Viswanathan Anand? - Livemint - August 20th, 2020
- Gorgeous amber chess set returns to Gdask after 300 years - The First News - August 20th, 2020
- Play the Najdorf with the help of Garry - Chessbase News - August 20th, 2020
- The Grandmaster Who Got Twitch Hooked on Chess - WIRED - June 15th, 2020
- An Introduction to Chess: More notes on notation - Stabroek News - June 15th, 2020
- Chess: Interim executive team elected to run federation for a year - The New Times - June 15th, 2020
- Chess: national solving championship opens for entries from Britain this week - The Guardian - June 15th, 2020
- Carlsen Vs. Giri: The Trash Talk Edition - Chess.com - June 15th, 2020
- Karjakin vs. Cosmonauts | Earth vs. Space 50th anniversary chess game - chess24 - June 15th, 2020
- GMs Pravin Thipsay, Vidit Gujrathi launch Maharashtra Chess Associations official website - The Bridge - June 15th, 2020
- There is no 'better' game when comparing chess with bridge - Royal Gazette - June 15th, 2020
- Another Female Chess Grand Master Forsakes Iranian Nationality To Join Swiss Team - Iran News By Radio Farda - June 15th, 2020
- The Downs And Ups Of GM Elmars Zemgalis (Silman's Last Article) - Chess.com - June 15th, 2020
- Chess.com Jokingly Promoted xQc To Grandmaster | TheGamer - TheGamer - June 3rd, 2020
- The eight best players in the world meet at the AVRO Tournament - Chessbase News - June 3rd, 2020
- Twitch Is Breathing New Life Into Chess | TheGamer - TheGamer - June 3rd, 2020