I am always amazed, when I stop to think about it, how much our brains can actually remember.
As a journalist, I am inherently a people watcher, so I have picked up on many a conversation in my day. I am blown away by the number of sports facts that someone can use in a conversation or just how many 90s boy band lyrics all of the girls at a party can belt.
What makes us different from one another (among other things) is what I like to call our "unhelpful" knowledge. You may know everything imaginable about red pandas, while I may know an encyclopedia's worth of facts about the Food Network. The diversity among us is astounding, and in today's technologically connected world, it is even easier to learn more things, consume more information and reach more people.
Think of how much more "unhelpful" knowledge we are able to acquire because of Google searches, social media and obscure blogs. The Internet is limitless when it comes to making connections and finding answers, and our brains can-surprisingly-hold almost just as much.
All of the "unhelpful" knowledge I can remember makes me confident when I find myself needing to also learn large quantities of "helpful" facts. I mean, I've gotten this far in journalism, so I have to be doing something right. It doesn't really feel like I know all too much about my major, but that's only because I practice and use what I do on a daily basis. Bet I could beat a non-journalist in a game of newspaper jeopardy.
Currently, I am studying for two Praxis exams (without having any prior teacher education background), and although it is extremely intimidating, I also know that I am capable of retaining massive amounts of information if I set my mind to studying it. After all, if there's room in my brain for "Mean Girls" movie quotes, I can make space for education pedagogy and adolescent psychology.
Maybe I have an edge on other people who may be less inquisitive and curious, as those qualities also make me an effective reporter, but I know you don't have to be a journalist to appreciate the "unhelpful" knowledge everyone has. It's all around us, we just have to know where to look.
That's all the news for now-Nicole
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nalliegr@ramapo.edu
