Should children learn poetry

[muddy]

Yes IMO they should .
Little children are like sponges they soak up things and a beautiful poem will be remembered all of their lives.
Who among us does not know the Owl and the Pussy cat went to sea ,or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star ?
It helps in their literacy their language and their appreciation of the spoken word .
You can bet your bottom dollar that private schools give small children poetry .

Older children too can benefit from poetry .
Feelings....
How do I love thee ? By Elizabeth Barratt  Browning
Or the immortal war poets
Rupert Brooke 's Home thoughts from Abroad
These are our history our Britishness

Yes boring progressive teachers think they are bad for children .

[muddy]

And a old poem for today

The Stranger within my gate,
  He may be true or kind,
 But he does not talk my talk—
  I cannot feel his mind.
 I see the face and the eyes and the mouth,
  But not the soul behind.
The men of my own stock
  They may do ill or well,
 But they tell the lies I am wonted to,
  They are used to the lies I tell.
 And we do not need interpreters
  When we go to buy and sell.
The Stranger within my gates,
  He may be evil or good,
 But I cannot tell what powers control—
  What reasons sway his mood;
 Nor when the Gods of his far-off land
  Shall repossess his blood.
The men of my own stock,
  Bitter bad they may be,
 But, at least, they hear the things I hear,
  And see the things I see;
 And whatever I think of them and their likes
  They think of the likes of me.
This was my father's belief
  And this is also mine:
 Let the corn be all one sheaf—
  And the grapes be all one vine,
 Ere our children's teeth are set on edge
  By bitter bread and wine.

Rudyard Kipling

Or maybe not .....

[GrannyMac]

I like some poetry, and yes we remember the rhymes from childhood.  I quite like this from a modern poet called Brian Bilston.

[GrannyMac]

And this by Christina Rossetti

[Scrumpy]

I enjoy reading the verses..

[muddy]

I loved this romantic poem when I was a girl


The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

?

[klondike]

Still works on Youtube - click the link

[Scrumpy]

   This is not a poem  but something that I read many, many years ago.. I think it is beautiful..
I have it framed and hanging on a wall..

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth
quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself
 with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons 
than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career,
however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your
business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself .Especially
 do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantments
it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering  the things
of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself
with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be
gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and stars; you have a
right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefor be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and 
aspirations , in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham drudgery
and broken dreams it is still a beautiful world . Be careful . Strive to be happy.

Found in Old Saint Paul's Church , Baltimore; Dated 1692.