How Memorization Can Quell the Student Identity Crisis

One of the major issues confronting young people today is resting in their identity in Christ. Though efforts are made to aid teenagers in developing a clearer image of who they are, new research indicates that one of the most effective methods to aid mental, spiritual, and emotional lives is to strengthen memory.

Multiple studies have demonstrated the critical importance of memorization to individual growth and development. Many consider memorization an obsolete tactic in education; classical education uses memory formation as a cornerstone in teaching, providing students with an unshakeable base from which to grow.

Children improve their memory by memorizing different words, phrases, verses, and poems with a repetitive rhythm. The classical approach of Hillcrest Academy emphasizes the important traits of truth, beauty, and goodness in the pieces that the students memorize. The truths from Bible verses and poems are reinforced by understanding the dynamics of what is memorized. With that, memory not only helps in the learning process but can be applied in life’s difficult situations as well. It facilitates the use of language, shapes imagination, and dictates behavior, all actions necessary to overcome lies and distractions teens face daily in social media and populace theories. The verses and poems students memorize imbue them with a Biblical understanding of the world, providing a foundation to live life from a Christian perspective.

In memorization, students not only become aware of the ideas they are learning, but they can also understand them and incorporate them into their behavior. Hillcrest’s teaching methods emphasize an understanding of the subject and material, providing mentors in teachers and support staff to ask and answer questions that exercise both their learning muscles and confidence in tackling and overcoming problems. This also nurtures creativity as students are encouraged to explore the knowledge which they have gained through the process of memorization.

The main issue that most people face is not in obtaining information but in having the capacity to remember and utilize the knowledge when times get tough. By encouraging the repetition and application of memorization, children can create a repository of knowledge that will provide a constant guide in their lives. This truth is acknowledged in Scripture, specifically in the guidance for living in Deuteronomy 6. Hillcrest Academy makes it a priority to instill these values in all its students, which is specifically evident in the classical approach in lower school.

Hear a testimony of how Hillcrest’s approach to memorization is impacting a Hillcrest family: