My name is Jami McDonald and I am a senior at Michigan State University. I am majoring in Language Arts and Elementary Education. Diverse literature is something that is very important in the field of education and is something that every child should be exposed to.
When I was a child I was not exposed to much diverse literature. It was just something that we were not taught in school. We had diverse books in our library, but no one really pushed me to read them and explore what they had to offer. Growing up in a predominately white neighborhood, I was not exposed to much diversity. It was not until college, when I was able to see and experience many people of different races and cultures. At first I was very naive to different cultures and didn’t know much about anyone who was different from me. I learned quite a bit through reading various types of literature and meeting people who were able to open me up to new ways of thinking. I think it is very important for children to be exposed to this so they are aware of what else is in the world. Diverse literature helps children to understand different cultures and helps them to understand why some people celebrate certain holidays. I feel this is the best way to get this across to children. They are excited to read and can most easily relate to and understand something they read in a book.