In 2000, the "National Council of Teachers of Mathematics" recommended that Algebra Standards, "instructional programs from prekindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to use mathematical models to represent and understand quantitative relationships." In this article, the authors suggest the "Balance" as one such tool to model quantitative relationships of an algebraic equality. It models an equation by illustrating the meaning of equal because the center of the balance (the "fulcrum") can be correlated to the "equal sign." For the balance to stay steady at its center, values must be equal on both sides. The use of a balance to help students develop algebraic understanding and a deeper meaning of "equal" has been shown to be beneficial to student learning. The authors then recommend "balance tools" available online for students from Pre-K through grade 12 to afford students the opportunity to visualize how their manipulation of numbers or items sways or impacts the balance.