Today the voice of the Count from Sesame Street, Jerry Nelson, died. I couldn’t help but wonder how many times I heard him count his way through the numbers. This character was a throwback to day when education was mostly about memorization. Since then, we seem to have decided that repetition in education is sort of the caveman of pedagogy.
This trend has not only be seen in secular education but Christian education also. When the day school here in Ellsworth was open, the Christian education was very heavily based upon memorization of texts, scriptures, and hymns. And quite frankly I am glad it was. These students, now mostly elderly, still have so much of those things memorized. When they lose their sight or their short term memory, they still have these things. They can still participate in the life of the church fully even without full faculties.
Of course, there is more to true learning of the faith than memorization. We certainly need critical thinking skills and the learned ability to apply the memorized texts to our lives. But especially with children, we should not demean memorization as much as we do. In fact, the second we do, it is proof that we have not been around enough elderly people lately. Memorized texts are truly the bedrock of always Christian learning. They are the things that endure the whole life long.
I am not certain what state Jerry Nelson’s health was in near the end of his life but I am certain he never forgot how to count. So goodbye old teacher. We need more like you in our day.
