I didn't have a stellar experience with poetry during my school years. How about you?

It was either presented in an artificial sing-songy voice, or it was dissected and analyzed to death,

neither of which contributes to sparking a grand interest in this form of literature. So I was hesitant to use poetry in my own home

school. I had read that Charlotte Mason loved poetry and included it in her school schedules,

but I couldn't help thinking, what's the point? Perhaps you are in the same boat. Well,

since I was curious, I started looking for the answer to that question,

and let me share with you what I found. Welcome to the Simply Charlotte Mason podcast.

I'm Sonia Schaefer. Charlotte Mason believed that poetry is the highest form of literature.

Let me qualify that statement. Charlotte Mason believed that good poetry is the highest form of literature.

Just as with books, we need to be selective and look for the best ones.

Now, happily, we won't be sing-songing our way through them, nor will we be cutting them apart

and dissecting them.

Poetry is to be read and enjoyed.

That's it.

And as we are reading and enjoying good poetry, we can count on several wonderful things that it will

bring to us and our students. Some poems bring a smile to our faces, simply because of the

way the poet played with words. Poets like to rearrange words and rummage about in their

mental storehouses to find just the right word

that will add an element of surprise or will bring a vivid scene to life in their reader's imagination.

The more our students hear those excellent word choices, the more their own use of words will be shaped.

As they grow to appreciate the power of words, they will be challenged to choose their

own words carefully, whether in speaking or in writing. Poetry cultivates an appreciation

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