Dory, Data Dumping, and Memory Editing
Let me cut right to the chase (before I forget). My memory is BAD. I'm not talking about, "Honey, where did I leave my glasses?" bad. I am closer to, "Honey, where did I leave the kids?" bad. And yes, that really did happen once. It amused my children and terrified my wife.
Beyond being bad, my memory is often wildly inaccurate. Rarely am I able to share an amusing anecdote or story without being interrupted by someone in my family with accusations of falsifying the events of that day or screams of, "That's not what REALLY happened!"
Maybe that's not what happened, but it's what I remember!
It turns out my Dory-esque memory is not limited to just me. It turns out that it's not that uncommon. In the new book, Remember, Author Lisa Genova explores our mind's ability to remember. Or not.
Genova explains that the mind sifts through thousands of data points every day to instantly determine whether the information is worthy of long-term memory storage. In short, your brain is constantly asking the question, data-drive, or data-dump.
But just like your hard drive, even when stored correctly, your memories can be corrupted when they are re-remembered. Genova calls this "creative editing," a process in which the current mindset alters your previously held memory. She further explains that "To remember an event is to reimagine it; in the reimagining, we inadvertently introduce new information, often colored by our current emotional state. A dream, a suggestion, and even the mere passage of time can warp a memory."
All of this means that you can be 100% confident in remembering something and still be 100% wrong. Something my wife proves to me almost daily.
In dealing with difficult memories, Genova suggests and encourages the use of "memory editing." She argues that an effective way to combat trauma and pain associated with bad memories is to introduce new information and experiences to memories before they become permanently embedded in our brains.
The idea is simple.
While memories are still fresh, discuss them with others, each time interpreting or introducing a new element that reveals what you want to remember. Eventually, the newly introduced elements will embed themselves into the memory before it becomes permanent. In this way, you can take a bad experience and ensure that you remember some good in it.
I think we would all like to forget the past 365 days. For the rest of our lives, we will remember the destruction and disruption associated with the global pandemic. And while the pain and suffering are real, the loss is not all that we should not forget.
As we reflect on the previous year, we shouldn't forget:
Being home more and spending more time with family.
A hobby you explored, a show you binge-watched, or a book you read.
Activities or trips you did that would have typically been impossible.
Working and collaborating with colleagues in new and meaningful ways.
Being excited when you came up with your first creative remote learning lesson.
Not having to stress over contests or concert prep.
The concepts you taught or skills your students learned that would have otherwise succumbed to performance prep.
Closing your laptop at the end of your last class and saying, "I'm done for today," with no remorse.
Not having to complete purchase orders, bus requests, or fight for access to your auditorium or gymnasium.
Not attending staff meetings or dealing with angry parent phone calls.
According to Lisa Genova, by reading these words, you have altered your memory of the pandemic in some small way. You have edited the primary emotion with time, perspective, and context. You have taken the memory as it was and moved it towards what you want it to be.
This is as true for your students as it is for you.
Perhaps tomorrow, you might spend a few minutes helping your students re-remember the pandemic and their music experience not just in terms of loss but also in terms of gain.
Yes, I am just like Dora. A forgetful optimist who reminds us in good times and bad to "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming..."
And that's something we should all remember.
If we can.
Have a great week.
Scott
p.s. As a part of the podcast series Revisionist History, Malcolm Gladwell did an episode on this very subject called Free Brian Williams. It is my favorite podcast of all time and worth a listen.