She shares benefits of chess with kids
Tucson, Arizona Published: 12.05.2008
Each day in December, we are writing about a Gift of Tucson. These are people who quietly make our town what it is — volunteers, parents, neighbors, people who commit random acts of kindness.
Today’s gifts: Jean Hoffman, 28.
Nominated by: Her former St. Gregory College Preparatory School classmate, Demion Clinco.
Why she’s special: Jean Hoffman had intended to be a lawyer.
But after graduating from Yale, she took some time off from school and went to New York City to teach chess in low-income schools.
“I thought it would be part-time,” said Hoffman. “But it was there that I became a believer in the power of chess as a teaching tool.”
So she went on to get her master’s in education from Harvard, and headed back to her Tucson home, where she launched the nonprofit 9 Queens.
“She came back with the intent of developing a nonprofit program through chess,” said Demion Clinco.
“I think she is a social entrepreneur; she sees a need and a way to give back to the community in a very fundamental way. It’s who she is as a person.”
“I wanted to start 9 Queens in Tucson because there’s already a strong chess community here,” Hoffman said. “But it’s concentrated in schools that can afford a chess coach, or schools that are private.”
Here is the full article.
Give back to the community?
What has the community done for her?
Nothing!
She is a selfless individual who deserves respect.
The “community” needs to get off its collective butt and start taking care of their own affairs instead of waiting for someone to “give back to the community”.
Jean is from Tucson and played in the chess community here. She is “giving back” to the community that taught her chess by teaching the next generation.
The community IS taking care of our own affairs. Tucson STILL has a strong chess community and Jean is adding to it.
You are right with one point, she is a selfless individual who deserves respect.
“She is “giving back” to the community that taught her chess”
I find this hard to believe.
She is teaching chess to make a living for herself as she is only teacing at affluent schools. What about the poor Indian schools? Oh yeah, they don’t count. They aren’t real people. And they don’t play chess.
Arizona has some of the worst school systems in existence. It would help that you all praise an English teacher or two and encourage academics.
Next topic.
Indian Joe, you need to actually read the article.
“Our mission is to extend the benefits of chess to the underserved and underrepresented groups in the chess world,” she said.
That would be girls and low-income students, the groups 9 Queens reaches out to.
She does what she does not for money, but because she finds in rewarding and because it makes her happy. If all she wanted was money, she’s probably have continued towards her career in law.
He’s just upset because a woman can make a difference when a useless male like him is doing nothing.