After finishing up the final project, I took some time to reflect on the semester as a whole. I feel that this semester-long discussion of different cultural groups and literature that is meant to represent those cultures was one that was ideal after dealing with the final projects. This course chose books that were meant to foster discussion and offer exposure to the types of literature that is necessary for anyone who is serious about being a multicultural educator; however the reality is that these types of books are rather difficult to gain access to if someone does not have a mentoring course (TE 448) or have access to publications that are designed to give titles and feedback on books that positively reflect a culture.

When attempting the final project the difficulty in locating books opened my eyes to the issue of access and the whole reason that a class such as TE 448. If a teacher or parent were just to walk into a public library and ask for a children's book that was "about" Muslims or Muslim Americans the selection would be sparse and in most cases would be about the Islamic religion and not about the people. Without access, people remain in the dark.

I think that a course such as this one is a powerful course to offer for perspective teachers because it presents a learner with the many issues that are balled up into literature and the various cultures whose voices are often times absent from the stories that we read to students. I feel that once a teacher is versed in discussion and experiences the resources and problems with locating varying voices that teacher has moved into the light. In the end, I feel that by taking this course I have been given access to publications and started a sparse library of my own and that I now have the tools to build up and out, not allowing for closed minds left in the safety of darkness.