Staff writer
Before state assessment tests this spring, Marion Elementary School students will prepare by bouncing round rubber balls and tossing small beanbags.
Bal-a-vis-x has been reinstituted in the MES curriculum this year. Every elementary school student performs 5 to 10 minutes of bal-a-vis-x before every physical education class.
Although the exercise involves the playful physical education tools of rubber balls and beanbags, the activity is structured and precise. As an entire class, students bounce balls in rhythm. On a good day, MES physical education teacher Charlotte Waner said 30 students seem like one.
Students move balls and beanbags from one hand to the other. The exercises are as simple as passing the ball from left hand to right hand then dropping the ball from waist height with the right hand onto the floor and back. Even at a rudimentary level, the exercises work both sides of the brain and force a student’s eyes to track.
“Sometimes, it’s like your eyes have almost run a marathon,” physical education aide Pam Jones said.
Jones has been teaching bal-a-vis-x at MES for seven years of her 15 years with the district. Previously when she was an aide for third grade, she ran a bal-a-vis-x lab at the school and taught each class for 30-minute periods every month. Because of budget cuts and an increased emphasis on traditional teaching methods to improve reading and math performance for standardized testing, bal-a-vis-x was abandoned the past two years.
The move away from bal-a-vis-x was puzzling for Jones. The reason she discovered the program in the first place was to improve her son’s reading skills.
One of Jones older sons struggled with reading and an optometrist told the family that he suffered from an eye-tracking problem. To correct the problem, the physician suggested an expensive surgery.
At the same time, Jones’ friend, who worked as a special education teacher in Wichita, learned of bal-a-vis-x and they both saw a presentation by Bill Hubert, who created the program. Hubert said bal-a-vis-x, in his 30-year teaching career, has helped students with hearing and vision.
Jones used the program with her son and witnessed the results. She said her son participated in the summer reading program at the library and could only read 10 or 15 minutes at a time. After using bal-a-vis-x, he could read a half hour to an hour at a time.
Jones also said bal-a-vis-x helps with hand-eye coordination and focus, which can help with math and other subjects.
“Basically everyone benefits,” she said.
Even during its hiatus, MES teachers realized the benefits of bal-a-vis-x and would perform exercises in their classes. Former fifth-grade teacher Marj Sandberg and third-grade teacher Julie Trapp used bal-a-vis-x to improve students’ focus.
“I think they all understand; they see the difference it can make,” Jones said. “They’ve always been very positive with the program.”
Bal-a-vis-x may not be limited to MES; a few years ago, Jones taught the program at Marion High School.
“It was fun,” she said. “They really took off with it.”
This time around, the results of bal-a-vis-x have yet to fully register; teachers are still monitoring student performance to determine whether bal-a-vis-x was a factor in their improvement. However, Jones has been recruited to help struggling students, especially with reading.
“I’m glad to get it back going,” Jones said. “Any amount helps.”