Blog # 2

Gee:
"Humans have experiences, store these experiences, and make connections or associations among them." (pg 71)

Diaz:
I agree with Gee completely. It is true for any situation or person, in and out of the classroom. I know my experiences follow me everywhere. I use mine to release my thoughts through writing and to make judgements on the rest of my life's situations as well. Therefore everything I do is geared around these experiences but my values and goals shape the new experiences I face. I think this is a big part of writing and I believe it should be brought into the classroom and discussed as coursework because it is a crucial part of the writing process.

Gee:
"Are cultural models 'good' or 'bad'?" (pg 154)

Diaz:
I find this to be a huge controversial topic because the views vary immensely. A model should be good and influential but the view of cultural groups tend to be stereotypical. As Gee says when not having to constantly think of what one does because their cultural models and their values are set, is a good thing but on the opposite side of that, their values might just benefit them. If a person values their race but discriminates against the rest because they are not the same, this will cause and does cause unnecessary conflict. Therefore the right models can be good but then you have to pose the question of, who is to say what cultural model is right or wrong and what do these words mean in the reality of others?