THE CHALLENGES FACED BY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THE INCLUSION AND VALUATION OF SCHOOL DIVERSITY

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze the challenges faced by elementary school teachers in the inclusion and appreciation of school diversity, reflecting on their pedagogical practices, training, and social role in building a democratic and humanizing education. Methodologically, it is a bibliographic research with a qualitative approach, based on authors such as Freire (1996), Candau (2016), Tardif (2014), and Vygotsky (2008), who discuss the teacher’s role and the value of differences in the educational process. The analysis was based on works published between 2015 and 2024, selected from national academic databases and interpreted using Bardin’s (2016) content analysis technique. The results showed that teachers face structural, emotional, and training difficulties when dealing with diversity, but also opportunities to reframe their practice through listening, empathy, and critical reflection. It is concluded that valuing diversity means promoting equity, respect, and the recognition of others as subjects of rights, reaffirming the importance of teachers as mediators and agents of social transformation.