June Tutor of the Month

Our tutors are the tops! Each and everyone is special in their own way and they bring their unique talents to chess education! Check out our interview with our June Tutor of the Month, EllaRose!

1. Where are you from, and where do you live now?

I grew up in Gary, Ind., and I now live in Brooklyn.

2. What's your favorite game besides chess?

I love so many games! I really like Balderdash and I also have a soft spot for the game Be A Broadway Star.

3. Can you recall a particularly special or impressive moment from an online lesson?

I had a student who solved the "Knight's Journey" puzzle online after a couple of weeks of trying and that was very exciting!

4. What's your favorite story from the Chess at Three curriculum?

I'm a big fan of the Queen Allegra tactics stories, where she goes in search of the fork, pin, and skewer. They're great stories AND they introduce such an important part of the chess curriculum. They truly represent the Chess at Three method at its best. My students also universally LOVE the "Spaghetti Tug o' War" stories; they're a huge crowd pleaser.

5. You're an amazing, in-demand tutor. What's your secret?

I love playing chess. I was on the chess team as a kid and I grew up playing chess with my dad, so I have a lot of fun going into lessons and knowing I get to play chess every day. I get excited about the game and I think that's exciting for the students too. Also, patience. I have spent a lot of time working with children throughout my life and kids are going to be kids, whether you're making theater with them, coaching them in tee-ball, or teaching them chess. So I leave a lot of room in my time with them to let them be themselves without pushing them to get through every single thing I have planned for the day. If they ask me a question about the story and it's not "in the text," I ask them what they think the answer is and we talk about what we know from the stories that might answer the question. If they ask to do a certain variation or puzzle, I try to make time for that or promise to do it the following week. I don't want playing chess to feel like a chore, I want the kids to feel as much ownership over their time in the lesson as possible, while still making sure we hit the concepts for the day.

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