RSM – Does it Stick?

After teaching RSM for four years I wondered if RSM really worked in the long run. I know it works over a period of three years because of my experience in the Tiberias school system and where the children remembered songs, stories and vocabulary from year to year. But what would happen if the kids had a gap of a year and then went back to the program, let’s say between kindergarten and second grade? Would they still remember? Would they have the same positive attitude as they used to?

This year I have had the chance to find out. I am now teaching four kids whom I hadn’t seen for over a year. They are now in second grade and just about remember the name of their kindergarten teacher, never mind RSM. Kids have a habit of “formatting” their brains between grades as if they have to clean out their memories before starting another year. So would they remember the program? Or me?

To my relief, they remembered my name. They remembered which kindergarten they went to but hadn’t gone back to visit, and judging by their reactions, never will. They also remembered the most of the songs. Not all the words, let’s not get carried away, but when I started singing “Head Shoulders Knees and Toes” for instance, they finished it, without the music, including all the versions! In fact they knew some of the songs so well I found it hard to teach the new kids as they kept jumping in ahead of me. They also knew what flash cards were coming up in the yoga stories as if they were clairvoyant! In the end I had to ask them nicely to let the new kids have a chance.

I now consider them my “helpers”; they have learned to restrain themselves when trying movements and learning vocabulary which is very hard for kids who generally like to be first to show off their knowledge. They greet the songs like old friends which helps, as the others see them as role models and tend to follow their lead. I really didn’t expect them to remember as much as they do or show interest in re-learning the songs and activities they had learned as smaller children, but they do.

I played “Sky is Blue” last week, just in the background while they were working in the activity book. One of the girls was sitting on the ground, carefully colouring her drawing, simply singing along without even looking up at me. That was a shame, as she missed the stupid smile on my face.

Julian Harel
Ready Steady Move! Program Developer & Teacher Trainer