Re: Video: 3-year-old recites poem, ny by Billy

[Guest guest]

Hi all-

I do love poetry- and I did find this video to be quite adorable. However, a

part of me of me questions if this child is TRULY motivated to recite Poetry.

Is it possible that this is more of a " Parent motivated situation " ?

I can understand " child singers " a lot easier. (Singing is fun). It is amazing

that this 3 year old was able to memorize the words to this Poem-- he is

reciting words and concepts that he may have no understanding of... and he

recites them well. I am wondering how much time his mom or dad spent drilling

this poem into his head? I am also feeling, that at his age, there would be so

many more age appropriate things for him to memorize.

This all reminds me of a child who is in my 5 year old daughter's Ballet Class.

This child's mom is downright BIZARRE..... all of us moms who sit in the waiting

room get a big kick out of her behaviors. She goes on and on about how " her

child is a DEDICATED Ballet Dancer " .... we see her child crying before and after

class, we see this mom lecturing her child between classes because she did not

like what she saw on the Waiting Rooom Video Monitor. It is so sad.

We have all been together in the same classes for the past 2 years.... and a few

of us moms have become friends. We have tried to get this above mentioned mom to

" lighten up " .... because - at age 5, classes should be all about exploring

interests and having fun. It is not my place to tell this mom that her " supposed

DEDICATED dancer " appears to have no interest in dancing and appears to be

distressed at each class. I do always have a deep feeling of pity for this

child.

I will say it again- I can understand child singers-- but the " concept " of a 3

year old reciting this Poem leads me to believe that there is more to this

picture than our eyes can see. This child WAS amazing.... He memorized that

entire Poem! God- how I wish my 3 year 5 month old son old could recite even a

simple Nursery Rhyme.... or say his first and last name in a way that strangers

could understand him. My Son would have been starting his first year of PK this

Fall if he were a " typical child " ... I feel very sad much of the time-- it

seems like my Son is falling more and more behind " typical kids " of the same

age. NV has helped-- thank god for that.

I should start a new post about this---- we got a new kitten- a very vocal

Breed- called a Savannah. Tyler has really taken to her-- this kitten assists

us with his " Speech Practice " ..... he WANTS to talk to BA UH (Bella)-- and she

talks back! I am loving it!

[ ] Video: 3-year-old recites poem, " ny " by

" Who knows what is going on in the minds of the speech impaired child? Always

shoot higher than the twinkle twinkle of little stars! "

~

[Guest guest]

I agree that singing as in the incredible 12 year old talented opera

singer Jackie Evancho

or from the

same show the 12 year old dancers and Patryk (think the one judge Howie

even called this dance a bit creepy to watch!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDMUqyMrQVo or reciting poetry

-yes all fall into the literal

definition of " freaks " but of course in the best way possible. These are

individuals who at their age are far beyond others their age -and quite possibly

beyond even the ability of any adult as in the case of the 12 year olds on this

year's AGT for sure.

I too wondered if this mother just recites poetry over and over to her child and

is a bit off.

However after looking into this a bit more I believe this is an intellectual

mother who is exposing her son to culture and of course the only people that

will know if this is a normal child or not when not reciting poetry would be

those that know the child. And that's not just because the name of the person

that posted these videos is " Dr. Chelpka " (channel here

http://www.youtube.com/drchelpka ) I watched how she played with toys with him

(as she is doing in the first video) or dress up as Superman as he is here

http://www.youtube.com/user/drchelpka ...but it does appear this child actually

does enjoy reading and memorizing poetry as the mother says because he laughs

and plays while he recites the poems and he has perfect inflection or at least

near to it and he laughs and smiles when he is done too. And he's dressed in an

adorable and whimsical T shirt (OK I used to work in fashion and notice stuff

like that too) Another clue to me is the condition of her home during the

shooting of this video- she doesn't care that we see the toys all over. But

read some of the You tube comments and some people jumped on this mother for her

messy house - for spending more time with her son than in cleaning. Just

because there are toys all over during this video doesn't mean this parent never

cleans her house! The mess that some complain about is pretty much the child's

toys and they clearly are in the middle of still playing. I do believe this mom

cares more about her child that her house -and I'm sure her child will be better

off in the long run for that.

And read some of the comments from the Dr/Mom here -she's awesome! Here's one

comment from the mom regarding a letter from the poet himself -how cool is that

for a kid that likes poetry?!!

" did see this and wrote a letter to my son and I. We feel very

honored.

Thank you all for your kind comments. We are working on a few new poems I hope

to have up very soon. If there are any suggestions as to poems you think might

be good ones for him to memorize, let me know! I will consider them, if he likes

them too. "

http://www.youtube.com/drchelpka

The mom was interviewed by the NY Times and being that good news travels quick

but bad news travels even faster -if this child was in a preschool acting all

strange...I'm sure we would have heard about that -probably in today's media

world that's all we'd hear about -if there was a " bad " side!

Here is the NY Times version of the story ...sometimes I too think we as a

society are losing brain cells daily and think of popular " shows " like Jersey

Shore as a sign...I've never watched the show once and used to get houses down

the shore with my friends (down the shore is what Jersey people call the beach)

I'm hoping my lack of supporting it on any TV in my home will cancel the show- I

know that's a long shot I embrace intelligence, talent, creativity, art and I

do hope that this child is growing up in a loving home and having a wonderful

and fun, enriching childhood- and knowing how loving a mother you are I

know you hope the same!! But read on -some interesting stuff about poetry I

never knew- probably because most of us are working on getting our kids to

talk...so this type of " therapy " is not one most of us can look to do at an

early age anyway. But for apraxia keep in mind that memorization is typically

easier I found -and once in the motor memory the child can recite easier than

just talking freely -so...kind of like learning a script- and we know there are

lots of speech impaired actors- so perhaps we should give this props even for

this group? And don't feel bad...at 3 years old my son Tanner said " Ma Ma

Mommy " for " where is Mommy " and that was a 3 word sentence to me!! And yet

Tanner is a thriving bright student today at 14 years old- ability to talk

doesn't mean ability to think! Expose and who knows?

And speaking of NV - what would happen if a child like this takes NV?!!! He

invents a new form of green energy by 4?!!!

NY Times article on this child and mother:

August 18, 2010, 9:20 am

Childish Things: Watch a 3-Year-Old Recite a Poem From Memory

By DAVE ITZKOFF

The next time you're lamenting the state of 21st century culture – possibly

while waiting for a new episode of " Jersey Shore " to start – give yourself a

morale boost with this video (which we were pointed to by Libraryland and The

Daily What) of the 3-year-old son of YouTube user drchelpka reciting

's poem " ny " from memory:

If that feat isn't impressive enough, drchelpka has also posted video of the

tyke reciting Tennyson's " Eagle. " Meanwhile, we're going to play with our Legos.

* Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

* NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/childish-things-watch-a-3-year-old-\

recite-a-billy-collins-poem-from-memory/

Here as well is a quote from an NPR blog about this mother and child:

" Apparently, the boy's mother recorded and posted the video. has been of

15,777 viewers so far, she tells us. The CUNY professor and former U.S. Poet

Laureate wrote the two of them a letter. "

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/08/18/129277247/three-year-old-boy-reci\

tes-litany-a-poem-by-billy-collins-from-memory

And finally here is an article and below that an interesting aspect of why

poetry is good for children:

And from the Well Trained Mind- one resource I found that explains how

beneficial it is to have children memorize poems.

Poetry Memorization: Methods and Resources

by Jessie Wise and Wise Bauer

Like other classical educators, we suggest that students of all ages memorize

and recite poetry. Memorization and recitation build two different (but

complementary) sets of skills. Memorization improves vocabulary; students who

memorize poetry learn a wide range of descriptive words that they might

encounter infrequently — or not at all! — in prose reading. If a student reads a

word in a novel, she might or might not remember it for later use. But when she

commits it to memory in proper context (as the memorization of lines of poetry

requires), she is much more likely to have it at her " mental fingertips " for use

in her own speaking and writing.

Memorization also builds into children's minds an ability to understand and use

complex English syntax. The student who memorizes poetry will internalize

rhythmic, beautiful patterns of English language. These patterns have become

part of the student's " language store, " those wells of language that we all use

every day in writing and speaking. Without memorization, the student's " language

store " will contain only those phrases and patterns which he hears over and over

again — the language patterns that your family uses every day. But memorization

" stocks " the language store with a whole new set of language patterns.

Recitation — learning to speak memorized pieces out loud, with fluency and

expression — helps to " set " memorized pieces in the student's memory. But

recitation also develops skills in presentation. When a student learns to stand

still (without jiggling, rocking back and forth, picking his nails, rubbing his

nose, or twirling his hair) and speak, he's learning the all-important skills

he'll need for job interviews (not to mention gracious social interaction). When

he can stand still even under the gaze of multiple listeners, he's learned a

poise under observation that will serve him in social situations for the rest of

his life.

Children's minds work differently in the three stages of classical education.

Elementary students have retentive minds; in grades 1-4, a student can memorize

a piece of poetry in a week simply by reading it, out loud, three times, every

morning. When the piece is memorized, require the grammar-stage student to

recite it from memory in front of something inanimate — a stuffed animal, a

picture, or a favorite toy. When he can do this, ask him to recite it in front

of a mirror. When he's able to do this (without giggling), ask him to recite it

in front of you. When he can do this, ask him to recite it in front of several

relatives at once — father, mother, siblings, grandparents, cousins.

In the " logic stage " (grades 5-8), students should still read their memory

pieces out loud three times every morning. But since their minds will begin to

work more analytically, you can also ask them to pull a poem apart and identify

such things as rhyme scheme, alliteration, and type of meter. This analysis will

help the student's mind retain the poem. Logic-stage students should be asked to

recite before family friends and non-related adults. We don't necessarily

recommend peer recitations; students in grade 5-8 can be unintentionally cruel

(mocking each others' gestures and tones for fun), and you don't want to

embarrass a logic-stage student at a time when self- image can be a huge

problem.

" Rhetoric stage " students (grades 9-12) can memorize both through repetition and

through analysis. They should also progress on to a careful evaluation of the

poem's ideas. Why did the writer choose certain words? What would the

contemporary audience have thought of the work; would it have been revolutionary

or old-fashioned? How do the writer's words and rhythms manipulate the

audience's emotions? Does repetition draw attention to certain words or phrases?

Why? Is the poem or speech an appeal to reason or to emotion? How does this

change its method of delivery? Rhetoric stage students should take part in

public speaking or drama presentations whenever possible; at this age,

recitation should take place for peers, as well as for family and friends.

It is often easier to find poetry resources for older students than for younger

students. Older students can often commit to memory those works which they are

reading in literature. For younger students, however, funny, rhythmic, memorable

poems can be hard to locate! The following list is especially useful for grades

1-6. As always, parents should use discretion; we haven't read every single poem

in every single book! But these titles should provide plenty of appealing poems

that students will enjoy memorizing and reciting.

Blishen, and Wildsmith, eds. Oxford Book of Poetry for Children

(Oxford University Press, 1996).

Farjeon, Eleanor. Between the Earth and Sun: Poems (Harper, 2000 [just

being brought back into print; you will have to wait until early next year for

this edition!]).

Fields, . Taxis and Toadstools. Unfortunately out of print; try your

library.

Frost, . You Come Too: Favorite Poems for Young Readers (Henry Holt,

1987).

Hirsch, E. D. Books to Build On (Delta, 1996) contains age-appropriate

literature and poetry recommendations.

Lear, . A Book of Nonsense (Everymans Library, 1992).

Milne, A. A. When We Were Very Young (Puffin, 1992) and Now We Are Six (Puffin,

1992).

Nash, Ogden. Ogden Nash's Zoo (Steward, Tabori and Chang, 1987).

Prelutsky, Jack. The Twentieth Century Children's Poetry Treasury (Knopf, 1999).

_____. Tyrannosaurus Was A Beast, illus. Arnold Lobel (Mulberry Books, 1992).

Rod & Staff, publisher. Poems for Memorization (Rod & Staff, 1989). This book,

as well as other Rod & Staff readers, can be found at used book and curricula

sales. These contain good character-building material. You can also contact the

publisher directly at Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc., Crockett, KY, 41413.

Schwartz, Alvin, ed. And the Green Grass Grew All Around: Folk Poetry for

Everyone (Harper, 1999).

son, Louis. A Child's Garden of Verses (Applewood Books, 1995).

Teasdale, Sara. Stars Tonight. Unfortunately out of print; try your library.

Wescot, Nadine Bernard. Never Take a Pig to Lunch and Other Poems About the Fun

of Eating. (Orchard, 1998).

's Books Children Love has a useful section of poetry resources.

Among the titles she recommends is the Oxford Book of Children's Verse, ed.

Opie. This was a good book, but the updated version (The New Oxford Book

of Children's Verse, ed. Neil Philip) contains a number of poems which are NOT

suitable for children — including verses which introduce them to racism, sexism,

and despair. (Even Booklist didn't like it!)

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/poetry-memorization-methods-and-resources/

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