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Multicultural Education and the Various Challenges

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Running Head: Multicultural Education and the Various Challenges

Multicultural Education and the Various Challenges
Oletha Y. Mask-York
Grand Canyon University
EDU 230, Cultural Diversity in the Classroom
April 29, 2012

Issues within Multicultural Education
As an educator I realize that teaching can be challenging. It requires one to be dedicated to self and the population they serve. It can be exciting or boring. It is how you approach this profession that makes a difference. Teachers have to look into themselves and critique their beliefs and values about the prejudices of the world we live in. Can they open their minds and hearts to a world that has so many different cultures that has breed so many children? These children can have learning disabilities, mental or physical disabilities, or be English Language learners. It is left up to us to follow a curriculum that is exceptional to the needs of all children and it can be challenging.
Some critics of multicultural education oppose teaching about different cultures because they believe it will lead to numerous problems. They think it divides cultures and teaches students to think of themselves as being different from the rest of society. Some believe it does not allow students to express their individuality places too much emphasis on the diverse backgrounds. They think that educating students about the U.S. democracy it will focus on the origins of Europe. The belief is if people do not assimilate into the mainstream culture they may find it hard to integrate and that teaching about multiple cultural influences makes the task impossible (Swartout-Corbeil).
During the 1960s and 1970s, the emergence of multicultural education began. People from all walks of life started demanding that the curriculum be supportive of the diversity in the United States. James Banks was a pioneer of the education of

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