Literature as Mirrors and Windows theme at NCTE

How many of you were able to attend the 2014 NCTE Convention in Washington, DC, last week? It was a truly inspiring conference! The Friday morning General Session keynote address by Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund, and following panel discussion, focused on the themes of literature as mirrors and windows, and the importance of creating space for missing and marginalized voices.

We at EMC Publishing were inspired to hear that this theme resonates so powerfully with the program philosophy of our Mirrors & Windows: Connecting with Literature program. We know that great literature provides mirrors that help students reflect on their own lives, and windows that lead them into new worlds. This metaphor for reading expresses the power of words to engage and transform readers.

EMC's literature program provides opportunities for students to explore new worlds full of people, cultures, and perspectives, that might be similar or different than their own. The anthologies contain stories, essays, plays, and poems by outstanding authors from around the globe. Reading these selections will expand students' appreciation of literature and expand their world view. As students read the quality literary and informational texts in the program, they will see themselves in the characters, stories, and themes. They can then begin to see themselves as citizens of the world--a world from which they have much to learn and to which they have much to offer.