Teacher swaps desk chairs for exercise balls

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - To keep her fifth graders focused, Sara Wright says she's learned that it helps if they’re on the ball. Quite literally.

"I was looking for different ideas on motivation in the classroom," said Wright. That’s when she stumbled upon research that swapping desk chairs for exercise balls helps students pay more attention.

“It said it really increased their attention span because their body is engaged and their mind is engaged. It's also burning calories so they're not as fidgety throughout the day."

Not to mention better posture.

“You can’t sit back on the ball. You have to sit upright,” she said.

So, she bounced the idea by the principal who gave it a thumbs up and weeks later, thanks to a thousand dollars in grant money, the 28 inflatable balls arrived.

"It's going really well,” she said.

“They’re awesome!” said Bess Wheeler, 11. “They really help us.”

It did take some getting used to.

"For the first couple of days we kept on wanting to bounce on them, but then we started getting still and started to settle down,” said Matt Demko, 11.

"We talked about the posture and keeping their feet on the floor and not bouncing too much and using them correctly," added Wright.

During the process, Wright learned the balls don’t just improve posture and performance. They also help with behavior. "Students who've had behavior problems, I've said 'if you're not acting appropriately I can't trust you with them.' And so I've seen an improvement in behavior,” she said.

The idea is catching on in classrooms across the country. Lisa Witt, a former teacher from Wisconsin, got the idea nearly a decade ago and started her own company selling stability balls for the classroom.  Witt said her company now ships them to hundreds of schools around the world each year.

Mrs. Wright is the only teacher at her school to use them right now. As for the other teachers?

"They are kind of waiting to see how it works out in my room." So far, you could say it's all sitting well. "It has exceeded my expectations."