Will Smith and Chess

Will Smith In Negotiations To Play Philly Chess Player, Teacher
By Alexis Jeffries and Houston Williams
Date: 1/22/2007 1:15 pm

After a highly-acclaimed performance as Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith may play another real-life hero, Salome Thomas-El, in an upcoming Disney film.

Smith is in negotiations to play Salome Thomas-El, a well known middle school principal and school board member in Philadelphia.

Thomas-El chronicled his life in an autobiography called I Choose To Stay: A Black Teacher Refuses to Desert the Inner City, and Disney decided to turn the book into a motion picture based on Thomas-El’s inspirational story.

…In his biography, Thomas-El notes the impact that the game of chess has had on his life.
At a young age he learned the game of chess from an older brother, but never utilized his chess skills until he became a teacher, using chess as a way to teach his students many life-lessons, including decision-making, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills.

“It’s mentally challenging,” Thomas-El continued. “You know, we come from a people that built pyramids that are still standing today with no machinery, no modern technology, and no nothing. So, if a kid is trying to master 64 squares, it’s mathematical and very scientific. But it’s also critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, and these are all skills that our children have.”

His success with students at Philadelphia’s Vaux Middle School playing chess has led to eight national championships and many of his students became motivated to stay in school, graduated and went on to attend college.

Here is the full article.