Ready Bodies, Learning Minds

By: Chine Okeke

Date: August 2021

For: Midway ISD Education Foundation

“It’s time to go to the motor lab!” is Ms. High’s new favorite phrase. 

The motor lab means a 25-minute break from the normal classroom setting. Instead, the students get to play with bouncy balls, stretch, practice breathing techniques and so much more.

The curriculum implemented in the motor lab is called Ready Bodies, Learning Minds. It was made possible through a grant provided by Midway’s Education Foundation and named in honor of Brian Townley.

Emily Nelson, Elisabeth High, and Marianne Anderson, special education teachers for Midway ISD, requested this grant to implement body and mind techniques in their classrooms to help their students’ academic performance improve. Although it seems like all fun and games in the motor lab, the students are actively building, maintaining, and altering their mental and physical cognition.

The grant was awarded in January 2018 and is currently being used in Spring Valley and Hewitt Elementary Schools. Nelson, High, and Anderson hope to extend the curriculum to other schools and grade levels because it has been so beneficial to their students. Not only has it helped with students’ academic performance, but also with their basic classroom functioning and social interaction skills.

On a typical day, the students in Ms. High’s class start their time in the motor lab with basic warm-up exercises. After warm-ups, they go to each station in groups of two or three and this is where they complete different sensory activities. The grant not only provides the curriculum but also the equipment that is used at each station including bouncy balls, jump ropes, tunnels, and spinning boards. Once all of the students have completed each station, they take the last few minutes to practice breathing exercises and unwind before exiting the lab and continuing with their normal classes.

“After participating in Ready Bodies, students were ready to come back into the classroom with calm minds and bodies ready to complete different academic tasks, ” Nelson said.

“Academic growth after putting this program into place has been substantial. For example, in one self-contained classroom, students increased their F&P reading placements by up to four reading levels since implementation.”

This new curriculum will positively impact both students and teachers. At the two elementary schools implementing the program, there are 83 special education students and nine teachers. The special education teachers want to implement this curriculum as early as possible so it will become a routine in their student’s education. The earlier it is introduced, the more adapted the students will be and the better their results from the program will be. As more campuses adopt the curriculum, the district can include training each year on how to integrate it into different classroom settings successfully.

After the students have completed their 25 minutes in the motor lab, they head back to their desks with ready bodies and learning minds.