Introduction

Hi! My name is Erin Reardon, and I'm a senior at Michigan State University. My major is elementary education, with a teaching major in language arts. I absolutely LOVE M.S.U. and am privileged to be part of its education department.

I am very interested in diverse literature, and feel that its imperative to welcome it in the classroom. Providing students with diverse and multi-cultural literature will give them insight into how diverse the world truly is. I feel it's very important to give "invisible" or "silenced" people a voice through literature. And in doing so, students will be able to learn more about silenced or stereotyped genders, cultures, or sexualities. Ultimately, upon learning more about diverse issues, students can come to understand, respect, appreciate, and empathize with others who are different than they are. As a future educator, I also feel it is necessary to familiarize myself with, and learn more about issues of diversity.