Memorization for Students and Teachers
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains the importance of memorization for students and teachers, and states that memorization has two basic benefits: spending free time and spiritual benefit. Memorization is especially useful in childhood because the child’s memory is receptive and quick to absorb.
What to memorize and why
He recommends memorizing chanted verses, melodies and hymns, psalms, prayers, Coptic words, and doctrinal responses that enable children to answer doctrinal questions with biblical evidence. Memorization makes information closer to their memory and easier than some other school subjects.
Practical application in the summer holiday
The summer holiday is a suitable opportunity to organize memorization activities: distributing sheets with verses by alphabet, memorization competitions with prizes, and circles for teaching hymns and prayers of the night and morning. This uses free time for beneficial spiritual life instead of all activities being just play.
Spiritual and practical dimension
Memorization time is a spiritual time: during memorization the mind turns to something spiritual, and a person preserves his prayers even while walking, and the heart remains connected to God. Memorization helps to pray at all times and places without needing a book, and prevents stumbles because the mind is occupied with spiritual matters.
Benefit for teachers and servants
Memorization is not only for children but also for teachers and servants: memorizing the psalms and parts of prayers helps them in service and enables them to pray in darkness or in circumstances where a book is not available. It is also recommended to provide printed materials to teachers to give to the students.
Effect of memorization on defense and preaching
Teaching children verses enables them to confront doctrinal claims coming from other sources; memorizing scriptural texts provides an organized response (for example verse and epistle examples responding to issues of baptism and salvation) and strengthens testimony across generations.
Directive summary
Make memorization an organized part of school and church activities during summer and throughout the year: verses, chanting, psalms, prayers, and Coptic words. Memorization cultivates a spiritual memory and prepares youth for a life of conscious prayer and service.
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