Poetic Knowledge chapter 1

Let me see if I can clarify what the term "poetic knowledge" means.

It's the difference between knowing about a person - his name, address, phone number, where he works, what his favorite color is, where he spends his saturdays - without ever actually meeting the person. But poetic knowledge is like being that person's close friend.

With poetic knowledge, a child discovers that he loves books and wants to read because he enjoys having his stories read to him. But our tendency is to drill him in letter sounds and make him sit through phonics rules until he begins to get the idea that reading is a chore.

In a CM context, it might be the difference between reading facts about local plants, where they germinate, when they flower, how they're pollinated, etc - and going outside and just absorbing the delight of the outdoors and becoming acquainted with plant life first-hand.