May 19, 2026
By Aryanah Cedeño
Staff Writer
From science labs to stage performances, memorization is a key skill — but its long-term value remains debated.
English and public speaking teacher Mrs. Paluzzi said there are some flaws in relying solely on memorization.
“Memorization can support learning to a certain extent, but true understanding of the content comes from applying ideas rather than simply recalling facts,” Paluzzi said. “Strictly memorizing facts without any type of application after[ward] might not allow someone to think critically about the actual content being presented.”
Paluzzi said memorization should not be mistaken for understanding.
“Memorization involves basic recall of the information, while true understanding is shown when students can explain, interpret and apply [knowledge] of the topic to various tasks,” Paluzzi said.
History teacher Ms. Schiraldi said in her classes, she deemphasizes memorization, preferring that students grasp key themes and topics.
“I would never ask anybody [to memorize] dates… but I would ask them to memorize what the actual content of the subject is,” Schiraldi said.
PIE CHART BY ZAHARA CHOWDHURY This pie chart represents the responses of 94 LHS students. Survey results were collected using Google Forms between April 13-19.
For example, Schiraldi said she expects her students to be able to articulate the role that slavery played in the Civil War.
“I want them to know that’s why there’s no more slavery in our [country], not necessarily dates of when it started, or when it ended, [but how] it changed the way we do things in our world today,” Schiraldi said.
Even though she said she chooses not to focus on minor details in her classes, Schiraldi said memorization is critical in some careers, including medicine.
“If you go to a doctor, and you have something wrong with you, and the doctor [says], ‘Well, wait, let me look that up,’ or ‘Oh wait, let me go back to my notes,’ that’s not okay,” Schiraldi said. “[They] need to know… what exactly is going on with your body.”
Freshman Elias Cardona, who hopes to become a mechanical engineer, said memorization will be essential in his career.
“[I will] need to know a lot of math and science [in] college and apply [that] to pretty much everything. If I memorize many things, I may be able to invent something of my own one day,” Cardona said.
He said he strengthens his memorization skills in his classes, where he prepares for tests and quizzes by looking over the work he has done, studying and playing Gimkit review games posted on Google Classroom.
“In my Biology [Honors] class, there are so many little things you need to remember for tests, quizzes, projects or labs,” Cardona said. “If you don’t [memorize], you have a [high] chance of failing.”
Cardona said memorization was crucial in his role as an attendant in this year’s school musical, “Into the Woods,” which he performed at Lyndhurst Middle School in February.
“Memorization can support learning to a certain extent, but true understanding of the content comes from applying ideas rather than simply recalling facts.”
“Strategies I use are reading one line over and over again, and once I get it, I move on to the next. Once I’m done with that, I read out the whole scene,” Cardona said. “Some lines were pretty difficult to say since they had many others speaking at the same time, but practice makes perfect.”
Senior Lyz Herrera, who mainly plays clarinet in the band, said she uses repetition to memorize the notes in the pieces she performs.
“When I was trying to memorize my scales for one of my auditions [for the North Jersey School Music Association Region I Band], I just kept playing them over and over again,” Herrera said.
She said memorization will be necessary in college as she pursues a degree in music education to become an elementary school band director.
“For music education, you need to know all the instruments, [memorize] the fingerings [and learn] how to read the music for each,” Herrera said. “I don’t think [memorization] is going to be the main part of my job, but I do think it’s going to be a big part of it.”
Herrera said focusing too heavily on memorization could be problematic in her intended profession.
“You can’t just memorize a certain way to present to a class or group of people because you’re never going to have the same group of people in front of you. You [must] learn how to constantly adapt,” Herrera said.
She said memorization is less necessary nowadays than it was in the past.
“With the introduction of technology and [artificial intelligence], a lot of schools [want] to see if you know how to properly get to an answer,” Herrera said. “They’re trying to test the way you do something, not [that] you know the answer already.”
