A heart-warming story with a sad ending

As some of you know, when I'm not playing chess, I work as a
counselor at a residential program for adolescents with brain-injuries.
We have one male resident, 16 years old, who knows HOW to move
the pieces, but has a lot of trouble seeing threats, understanding why
a move is bad, etc. I spend a lot of time with him, doing my best to
teach him how to see beyond the simple movement of the pieces
(I've already tried to explain castling three times, and he still doesn't
quite get it. Just wait until we get to capturing en passant...) Anyway,
we also have an 18-year-old female resident who has been watching
some of our games, and I am AMAZED at how much she has picked
up, especially when one considers the fact that she was thrown down a
flight of stairs by her father when she was an infant. One day last
week, she asked me for a lesson. The first thing I did was tell her to
set up the board, which she did with no errors, and no prompting from
me. Then I asked her to name the pieces-- she got king, queen and
bishop correct, she called the knights "the horse thingies," the pawns
were "ponds," (remember , this is Massachusetts and I don't have a
Massachusetts accent), and the rooks were "rookies." But she showed
an incredible understanding of defense-- whenever I attacked one of
her pieces, she knew she need to either move it or defend it. Of
course, with her brain injury, she will never become a competitive
player against anyone other than brain-injured opponents, but it was
such a triumph for her, it brought tears to my eyes.

The sad part-- the next day I was off, and when I went back to work
the next day, found out that she had been hospitalized-- she ran
away from the program, the cops were called, she was threatening
suicide, and that's the quick road to the psych hospital. As soon as
they tell me what hospital she's at, I'm going to call and see if she
wants a visit, and another lesson. Maybe a reminder of her triumphs
will help her get through this rough patch.

To those of you with kids-- yo8u have my undying respect and
admiration. Taking care of them for a living is one thing-- raising
them and being responsible for them 24/7 seems to me a
superhuman feat.

Just felt like sharing that, while I wait for my opponents to make
some moves.
Peace--
Tim
The Dark Squire

Thanks for sharing that Tim...you can always remind me that even
though there is alot of bad in this world...there is still alot of good.

Dave
Captain USA

Well, without going into too much personal detail, I spent the earlier
part of my life contributing my share of "the bad" to the world-- I
never inflicted any physical injury, but I caused a lot of emotional
damage. Also, understand that I spent years working crappy retail
jobs, until I suddently realized one day that I needed to do something
for a job that felt like it made a difference, and didn't feel like a
trained monkey could do it. Two years ago, I discovered working with
special-needs kids, and my life hasn't been the same since. I can
actually wake up EVERY DAY and think, "I love my job." I hope this
doesn't smack too much of self-congratulation, because my intent is
just the opposite. I am humbled by those who are full-time parents,
and I am reminded every day of how much i have compared to the
kids in my care. Kids just plain RULE. And if everyone on this board,
even those without kids, can find a kid to teach how to play chess, you
will have given them a gift that may very well last them a lifetime. Not
a bad time-investment, eh?
Tim
The Dark Squire (and, at least for today, blabbermouth....)

Let me tell you...I think what you're doing is harder than parenting in
some ways. As a parent, it's automatic. I love my son more than
anything in the world. So to give him attention is just natural. To do
it as a job, to do it soley for the pupose of doing some good, THAT is
doing something. And the fact that you love it...more power to you.

My son was special needs. Still is to a certain extent. He was
diagnosed with autism at 2. But he's a miracle child in that (after
intensive therapy) he is now mainstreamed and really
indistinguishable from other children in his class. There are really only
a handful of cases that have had that kind of success story. So I'm
extremely grateful. And it's given me a deeper appreciation of all
people who work w/ those of special needs.

More power to you Tim.

All I can say is thanks. I've worked in a program that had some
autistic children in it, but they were not in my classroom. That may be
the next population I decide to work with-- there are so
many "categories" of special-needs kids, and right now I want to
spend a year or two with each one, and I'll either find my niche, or
decide that my niche is to just keep floating from one to another, so I
can have an impact on as many kids as possible.

Again, thanks for your words, they mean a great deal to me. And
your kid is very lucky indeed-- not just to be a "miracle," as you said,
but to have a supportive parent. Many kids are not so fortunate. Go
give him a hug as soon as you see him, tell him it's from a friend.
Tim
The Dark Squire

will do Tim. I challenged you to a game btw

Thanks,Tim.Your Children will be in my prayers.
Kids are dear to my heart too.We have a crazy system in the Uk,for
tax
if you pay regular to a charity the Chansoler (misspelled cant be
bothered to correct it)gives back to the charity his sting.
Another prob. is we have a Royal Soc. for animals,but only a national
one for children.
lyn.

Yes, the system in the US is also pretty insane, for children and for
the elderly. As my favorite bumper sticker says, "If you're not
outraged, you're not paying attention." But thanks for your kind
words. I hope we meet soon across the chess board (at least in the
Internet sense of Over The Board), as I am currently meeting a
number of other regulars.
Peace.
Tim
The Dark Squire