Teaching Chess: A Serendipitous Event

I currently work as the assistant director for IMACS (Institute for Mathematics And Computer Science) of North Miami. We are an enrichment center that offers advanced classes for gifted student in first through eighth grades. So teaching logic to kids is more than a way of life, is my passion. Although I’ve been playing chess since I was nine, it never occurred to me that it could be a tool for teaching logic and mathematics. Perhaps, I was hung up on the fact that I could never beat my older brother! A close friend works as the community education coordinator for a community college in the area. One day her chess teacher called and said that due to other commitments, he could no longer teach the class. This was a last minute notice and her class was about to start. She turned to me, “you love kids, you love logic, why not teach chess?” I started doing some research and soon fell in-love with the passion and enthusiasm that I perceived from other chess teachers and organizations. I started teaching a class of fourteen second graders, of which only two are girls. So far we had five sessions and I’m very impress with the children’s commitment and interest. The more I read on the web and prepare my lessons, the more I learn to appreciate the great teaching tool that chess is!
I’m sure that you’ll often hear from me with questions about the game and how to run the class. But for now, this is my question, how do I get more girls interested in chess? Even when I talk to parents they say that chess is for boys. I’m glad to have boys in my class, but would love to have more girls!