I have been discovering lately that I like biographies. Of course, we’ve been reading them within the context of history studies, etc. but never outside “school time”. I have found, however, that in my own free-reading, I enjoy reading accounts of interesting people, their lives and their passions. I am especially hooked when there is some sort of commonality in the person I’m reading about and myself. This has been true of the latest biography I’ve read, A Life in Balance by Frank Belgau ($16.94 paperback). Frank Belgau is the man behind the Learning Breakthrough Program.
Through the pages, we follow Frank Belgau from his elementary years in the 1930s, struggling to learn to read. After a summer of physical exercise – running on the beach, he suddenly moved to the top of his class. In junior high, his dreams were of flying and becoming a scientist. It was no surprise that he joined the Air Force. An unfortunate result of surgery kept him from his dream of being a pilot but directed him down an amazing path which ultimately led to the development of a wonderful program that has been helping struggling learners make great strides – the Learning Breakthrough Program.
The story continues through the beginnings of Frank’s work with learning challenged children – an event I am sure God orchestrated to get these children into his classroom. Though I enjoyed reading about the work Frank did through the Perceptual Motor and Visual Perception Lab, my favorite chapter was the one about Beverley. Yes, I am a lover of love stories.
As if the story is not enough, there are pages of some of the activities that are part of the Learning Breakthrough Program. We have introduced some of these and have started seeing results. I am amazed. I shouldn’t be with all the success stories from the pages of Frank’s story, but I am. We are so blessed to be raising our children in a time when resources like these are available rather than a future of little hope.
This story has been fascinating to read and hard to put down. As a believer looking for the hand of God where others see coincidence or fate, it has been even more interesting. Having children that struggle in their learning – and seeing on our own the benefits of physical movement on their learning abilities – takes this book to an even higher level. It is a “must-read” for parents of learning-challenged children and/or those working with these children.