Kamler, Blackburn, Martino

In the Kamler article, I found her position interesting and rather disturbing. The teachers in the 1st and second grade classrooms believed that they were being progressive in their writing instruction. They were using a "process writing" approach on the surface but instead continued to hold on to elements of traditional writing instruction. By not giving students feedback or introducing them to various genres for writing, the two young writers continued to perpetuate gender roles. I find this disturbing because the highlights the problem with teachers who incorporate new teaching methods by name but do not truly understand the theoretical foundations of the teaching. I am also once again surprised at how early gender plays a significant role identity development. My nephew is six, and I remember vividly when he announced to the family that pink and purple were "girl" colors. The question remains how much is socially constructed and how much is physiological. This once again demonstrates the impact our "neutral" practices influence and reproduce cultural practices.

In the Blackburn article, I find it ironic that a group who combated prejudice reproduced marginalization within their organization. I think this article highlights how in any social group power is distributed unequally between its participants. Social capital is an limited resource and frankly, I posit that it may be impossible to avoid this unequal distribution (especially in the American culture). Through Blankburn's article we see the need for social groups to question and rethink their operating structures in order to construct a better world.