Four Years and Counting by Lisa Skoyen, Third Grade Teacher, E.P. Rock Elementary School, Hudson, Wisconsin. Students have been sitting on stability balls in my classroom for thepast four years. I can honestly say that implementing the use of stabilityballs has been one of the best educational decisions that I have ever made.I can’t imagine students sitting only on chairs for the entire year. I have ablatant reminder of the negative behaviors that children exhibit whilesitting on chairs at the beginning of each school year. I start the schoolyear with children sitting on chairs. Even though many of my students havehad the opportunity of sitting on stability balls in previous grades, I feel it is important for students to go through the training and “earn” the privilegeof being able to sit on the ball. Standing in front of my classroom during thetraining weeks is the only affirmation I need to continue using stability balls.Students are leaning back on their chairs, sitting on their knees, slouching intheir chairs, and placing their heads on their desks. I can’t complete thetraining quick enough! It is a joyful day when I am able to stack the chairsand push them out in the hallway to be taken away and put into storage. I have witnessed numerous benefits of students sitting on stabilityballs. Students are more focused, are able to attend longer and are lessdistracted because they are able to quietly bounce and move duringinstruction. I am able to observe the behavioral differences that occurwhen students have to deflate their stability ball because of breaking a rule.Sitting on stability balls in my classroom is a privilege. We write the rulesand consequences as a class, students sign a contract and the contract issent home. Communication is very clear about what is permitted and what isnot permitted. There are no warnings. If students break a rule, thestability ball is deflated for 2 weeks. One year I had a little boy who wasvery “energetic” and clearly benefited from sitting on a stability ball. Hisparents were extremely supportive of the program and inquired aboutpurchasing a ball to use at home. One day he broke a rule and had to deflatehis stability ball. I knew it was going to be a very LONG 2 weeks for him andme. The change in his behavior was unbelievable. He couldn’t complete hiswork, distracted others and talked nonstop. I received reports from thespecialists about his disruptive behavior in gym, music and art. I evenreceived a note from his parents about his difficulties completing homework.After 2 weeks of torture for all of us, he was able to inflate his stabilityball and the negative behaviors disappeared. He needed the stability ball asan outlet for his “energy”. It truly made a difference for him and does formany other students. Sitting on stability balls not only improves students focus andconcentration, it also strengthens core muscles and improves posture. It is awonderful sight to see students sitting around the classroom with suchperfect posture! I can also note the difference in my posture and coreduring the school year. I use a stability ball chair with wheels and can feelthe difference when the school year starts after not sitting on the ball allsummer. Stability balls have changed the way students in my classroom attend,behave, and think. They are integral part of increased student motivationand success. I can’t imagine a school year without them!
Special thanks to Lisa Skoyen and Lisa Witt of WittFitt
For more information about using or obtaining Stability Balls, visit www.wittfitt.com
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