September 2023 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 September Tutor of the Month, Ana!

Where are you from and where do you live now?

I am from Brazil and now I live in Brooklyn, NY!

What's your favorite game besides chess?

Definitely Mafia/Werewolf. I always play it with my friends and family!

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

The first thing that comes to my mind is when I created a whole new version of chess with a very dear student of mine. We called it "THE CHESS-ERRY GAME: a rainbow game of chess." It involved cards, four teams, and the winner screaming "CHINGO!!!" at the end. Her mind is so creative, it's mind-blowing!

What's your favorite story from the Story Time Chess curriculum?

"Thalia Said No!" I love it so much, not only because it shows kids that it's okay to make mistakes (we learn from them!) but also because it teaches them an extremely important life lesson: the concept of consent. Thalia learns it's okay to say no to the man in the jingly-jangly hat who wants to play chess with her in an unfair way. How awesome is it for little girls to learn that they should set up boundaries so early in their lives?

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

Well...embracing the kid-self I still have inside of me, so that I'm their equal! I love being silly and funny and pushing the kids to go as far as possible in their creativity. I am more than their teacher, I'm their close friend! I also love kids so much that I genuinely care about my students' progress, and that motivates me to keep improving.