My goal this year is to provide new experiences in the library. I sent out a plea to the MRE staff for a variety of items. Mrs. Spiares donated a checkers game to the library and little did I realize the magic this game contained. The game board sat quietly the first week of school even though intermediate grades came in for a quick check outs (the books outshined the game). It did attract the interest from a few students who asked about it, but due to the quick schedule students were not able to experience its magic. That is until the second week of school.
At first a student quietly asked about the game, could he play? Could he play now? Could he play when he came to the library? At that moment I know this game was going to be something special! Oh the conversation that has taken place around this table. Its talk of rules, strategy, suggestions, teaching, sharing stories about playing with family, collaboration, oh I could go on and on.
Yes, I have had to approach the table when needed but mostly as the “official” to decide if a particular move can be done. The version played in the library is what I labeled “Classic Checkers” no solders, no bomb movements, no bounce or swing across moves only Classic Checkers moves. Once we discussed good sportsmanship but overall what I have witnesses is teamwork, sharing and learning. For instance, after a highly competitive game one group shook hands and said well done all without being reminded or told to do that! That’s the magic of this game!
Some students have never played checkers and in these instances a classmate quickly comes forward saying “I’ll teach them!” We have a Watch Dog Grandpa who has really enjoyed sitting/standing around this table to play, listen, observe and pass along guidance. I suggested helping to monitor the game table to another volunteer Dad who quickly looked up rules to our classic game. He enjoyed learning & teaching kids that day!
Sometimes it’s a quiet game sometimes it louder. One teacher asked what my rules at this table were: only 4 students at a time? What was the expected voice level? I glanced over to the lively conversation at the game table. I looked back to her and responded “Let’s just see what happens”. The magic of checkers; it’s in the MRE library.
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