What Teachers Say
“Just wanted to share with you, I am working with a 7th grader with mild ID. I was assessing skills in writing his numbers. The first picture he did before Bal-A-Vis-X. After about 3-5 minutes of doing 1 and 2 balls rectangle and oval, he wrote the second picture. No visual supports were given or telling him what was wrong as I just wanted to assess where he was. This was amazing!”
– Bernadette Pierson
ELEVATE – On the ball with Norman teachers
OKLAHOMA CITY – Inside Susan Snyder’s classroom at Kennedy elementary in Norman, you’ll find the typical desk, chair, and textbook. But you’ll also find something a little unexpected: sand-filled bags, racquetballs, and balance boards.
Susan is one of more than 200 Norman Public School teachers who has implemented Bal-A-Vis-X into her classroom.
“I notice the ‘I can’ attitude, the self-confidence and the fact that you have a student who maybe struggles academically and picks up on this quickly and is able to teach someone else. It just boosts their self-esteem and that translates back into the classroom,” said Snyder.
Bal-A-Vis-X stands for, balance, auditory, visual and exercises – it requires focus and demands cooperation. Teachers who have implemented the program have seen discipline issues decrease and test scores increase.
To see Bal-A-Vis-X in action watch ELEVATE –On the ball with Norman teachers.
Dear Bill,
I hope this email finds you well! You asked me to stay in touch with you, and I must say I have done a very poor job of keeping you apprised to Payette’s response to your training. After having you to our school last fall I have been slowly but surely getting Bal-A-Vis-X going in our school. We have many teachers who are excited about what this program can do. In addition to my class of students, I have been using it with a student who moved here from Mexico at Christmas. He has been acquiring English at a rapid pace and luckily he will be placed with me again next year. I have also been spending time with a kindergarten student whose mom didn’t realize he was different until she compared him to his classmates. His behavior has greatly improved since we started using the program with him.
We are also lucky to have Title 1 teachers using it as part of their push in programs to assist our struggling students, and many teachers opted for students to do it before the state assessments this spring. Many of the teachers are amazed at the difference in behaviors they notice. Those who attended your training have also been getting together to share ideas for implementation, and to practice.
And, finally, the best news for many of our teachers is that Lonnie Johnson, the money man, just gave me funding to order supplies for every in district employee who attended our training. Each participant just received 20 bags and 15 balls and will be receiving a balance board for their classroom. In addition I will be sending an order to you for DVD’s to help teachers remain fresh and practice their skills. Thank you for inspiring so many of our teachers last October! I really hope that Bal-A-Vis-X becomes widely used within our district.
All the best,
Jennifer Marshall
3rd Grade Teacher
Payette Primary School
