Teaching Poetry

Why do we have to read poetry? I hate to study poetry. This is the refrain heard so often from the lips of school children, especially those in the junior high grades. What is the matter with these children? Possibly the difficulty lies in the poetry rather than the children. Still another possibility exists maybe the teaching method is ineffective. Undoubtedly it is a combination of all these factors. Yet, simply because children dont like poetry, the teaching of it should not be abandoned....