HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) - For years, Leslee Wischmeier has struggled with students who were either too big or too small for the desk and chair combinations in her Watson Elementary classroom.
“This year, I had five different kids who were sitting on textbooks to get to the right height,” the fourth-grade teacher told the Hastings Tribune. “I’d have kids with three textbooks underneath them or four or two to get them to the right height.”
That all changed a week ago when Wischmeier presented her students with stability balls to replace their chairs.
The large plastic balls are 55, 65 or 75 centimeters around and allow each student to sit most comfortably at his or her desk.
Wischmeier said she did a lot of research before ever bringing the balls into her classroom.
Her goal was to find something to replace the chairs that are all one size compared to the desks that only have a little ability to be adjusted.
Looking into the stability balls, Wischmeier found that they actually have a multitude of benefits for her students other than just fitting under the desks.
The first benefit is that students aren’t really able to slouch and must use good posture while sitting on the balls.
For students with attention issues, the balls can improve their ability to learn by allowing them to rock back and forth.
“It doesn’t distract other kids nearly as much as other things they could be doing,” Wischmeier said.
One other benefit Wischmeier discovered is that in order to stay balanced on a stability ball, a student must use both sides of his or her brain. That means the student’s brain is already stimulated and ready for learning in the classroom.
Wischmeier said in the week she’s had the balls in her classroom, she’s noticed improved concentration among her students. They don’t push their chairs away and stand up or slouch down and avoid work.
“They’re more focused,” she said. “They’re sitting the way they need to be sitting and working better than they were before.”
Fourth-grader Jett Samuelson said he really enjoys his ball as he rocked back and forth gently.
“It helps me focus more and it gets my brain working a lot,” he said.
One major benefit of the balls for both the teacher and students is the ease of movement.
“When we have to do a lot of things and move around, it’s easier to move around stuff than the chairs that get caught on these desk legs,” Jett said.
All of the students knew not only the rules about using their stability balls but also the consequences of breaking them. There’s no bouncing or popcorning on the balls, no rolling them around when not needed, no kicking the balls and, of course, no throwing.
But what about the consequences?
“You get your ball taken away for the rest of the day and you have to stand or sit on your knees,” said fourth-grader Camry Runyan.
While she likes her ball, Camry said it’s still been a bit to get used to.
Fellow student Dylan Thom doesn’t mind his stability ball. The one thing he misses is having a back rest, something he can lean on while sitting at his desk.
“I can slouch,” he said. “I just can’t lean back.”
The stability balls were paid for through a $400 donation from the T-L Foundation and another $200 from Chris and Amanda Thom, Dylan’s parents.
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Information from: Hastings Tribune, https://www.hastingstribune.com
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