Longtime Educator Exudes Passion for His Profession
By Jenna Johnson
Washington Post
Staff Writer
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Several times a month, Beach Elementary School Principal Michael Shisler gathers students, staff members and parent volunteers for rousing matches of chess.
It’s not an easy game for sometimes unfocused and hyperactive elementary children to grasp. But Shisler, convinced he could share his passion for the game with students at the Calvert County school, began teaching the basics one day. He received a $10,000 grant to launch an after-school chess team, which became known as the Beach Bishops.
“Students proudly wear their Beach Bishops shirts whether or not they have been winners, because they are shown appreciation for their efforts by their coach and strategist, Principal Shisler,” Vice Principal Andrea Banks wrote in a letter nominating Shisler for The Washington Post’s Distinguished Educational Leadership award.
This year, the team of about two dozen students has participated in five weekend tournaments, earning team and individual trophies. The costs of attending the conferences and other expenses are covered by the grant.
“It’s inspiring to see and a bit humbling to experience when you have a highly skilled third-grader as a partner,” a group of Calvert administrators wrote in another letter.
Here is the full article.
Good man!
This is the real grass roots of chess.