If you have ever been in a classroom full of busy kindergartners, it seems amazing that anything can be accomplished.

All teachers have many skills that help them in the classroom. For example: modeling the behaviors they want to see, teaching kids appropriate behaviors, or consequences for undesirable behavior.

Thanks to Beth Smalley, a kindergarten teacher at Lakeview Elementary School, teachers in our district have one more option — Brain Gym. Beth did her master’s degree research paper on the topic.

Because of the diverse nature of her classroom, Beth became interested in finding a tool that could benefit all her students

In a nutshell, what Brain Gym does is allow the left and right sides of the brain to integrate or “talk.” If the two sides of the brain are not “talking,” the child may be labeled “learning disabled” or “dyslexic.”

Beth knew as a teacher that for younger learners, learning and movement go hand in hand.

She found in her research that any time students move an arm or a leg across the center of their body, they are using right and left brain function, and in doing so, they are hardwiring a path between the two brain hemispheres.

These neurological paths affect reading, writing, listening and speaking.

There are also front and back parts of the brain and top and bottom. Brain Gym helps all areas of the brain connect, thereby improving learning.

Some of the fun parts of Brain Gym are the exercises to help the students get calm and centered and ready to learn. In one exercise they fit their tongues into the roof of their mouths, cross one arm over the other and put their palms together. They bring their hands to their chest and sit quietly and listen to soft music.

In a video Beth showed the school board, we watched students come into the classroom, and without being told, sit down and prepare for their day by doing this exercise. It was amazing to watch the calm settle over the room. The students obviously like it, and the result is fewer distractions and more thinking.

Actually, Brain Gym is a series of 26 movements that activate the brain for whole body learning. When all areas of the brain are interconnected and able to work together, learning becomes more natural.

All of Beth’s students showed gains in letter recognition, and compared to other kindergarten classes, her students showed a larger jump.

I am proud that so many teachers show initiative to try new things and bring gifts like Brain Gym to the children of the Albert Lea Area Schools.

Sally Ehrhardt is a member of the Albert Lea school board.