Good morning,

Thank you for allowing me to help you again, I am always happy to assist you.
The following is the information that you requested:

Knights of the South Bronx
In the movie, Knights of the South Bronx, Mr. Mason used Chess as a means of not only reaching his students, but also teaching and educating his students. Two reasons why the game of chess worked was that it illustrated to the children the children what a sense of accomplishment truly feel like. This was something that these students did not experience. It also gave them a sense of purpose, it showed them that there is a reason to use their intelligence and willpower. This is important because these were two elements that they did not use in this way because they did not see a purpose to school. The most important lessons that the children learned were that it did not matter what type of clothes they were, who there parent were, or where they came from, what neighborhood they lived. These are three elements that prior to chess, these children defined themselves by. After the experience of chess, they realized that the only thing that matters were the moves that they made then and there in the games and tournaments.

I learned one very valuable lesson from this film and from the article, "Critical Issue: Rethinking learning for Students at Risk." That lesson was that children, from any neighborhood or any socioeconomic class all want to succeed and feel a sense of accomplishment. Even if the exterior seems that they don't care, children really do care,and, most importantly, if someone gives them some time and genuine compassion, children are able to achieve any goal that they want.

In the movie, the principal, as an educator committed to student achievement and success, believes that we need to stick to the basics, to a specific pre-determined lesson plan. He believes this because he thinks that the only way to succeed, academically, is by learning reading, writing and arithmetic. What he does not understand is that does not work with students, such as the ones in Mr. Mason's class, who view school as only something that has to be done to fulfill a state requirement. If Mr. Mason would have "stuck to the lesson plan" he would not have been able to get his students to achieve what they did. Before Mason's students could achieve in the "basics" they had to want to achieve and see a purpose. Chess was not an "extra" for these students, it was a teaching tool for them to be able to achieve success.

As always, it was a pleasure to do this for you. Please remember to click one of the happy or excited icons so that I may be paid. I look forward to helping you in the future.
Have a great weekend
Lisa