I am rather frustrated with the content of my readings. I keep coming across writers who talk about mainstream literacy practices and how non-mainstream people are not privileged to acquire these practices and thus fail in school. I am shocked that the writers are elitists and biased. They fail to consider external factors which may contribute to the failure of the child in school such as the lack of opportunities to participate in class or other discriminatory factors. I also question the use of the terms mainstream and non-mainstream. Who is to judge which groups are mainstream and which are not? By numbers? If so, that is not fair, a large group of X race doesn't mean that their language or literacy practices are practised all around the globe or nation. Even if it is, it doesn't mean that it is effective. However, these are the people who have the power over the rest of the minorities. Ironically, it is not the government who defines educational policies but hegemony. Again, this would differ from country to country. I wonder if one day, minority groups become richer than the mainstream groups, would they become the mainstream group instead despite their small number of people? Would literacy practices be redefined again? This is the ever changing nature of literacy practices as groups of people struggle to define themselves. With conflicting views of what mainstream practices are, the act of trying to define them reflects the selfishness and elitism of the definer. Although there are black writers out there who struggle to voice their opinions of what literacy practices are in their viewpoint, we should not pity them for having been oppressed for so long because they are just as power hungry as the "mainstream" people. I feel that I have treaded on sensitive ground and that I have become more jaded after reading so much on literacy. Which are the right or more effective literacy practices we should adopt to teach children? Although observations of the effectiveness of certain pedagogical methods can help us to decide which practices to adopt, I feel that they may not be applicable to each and every student. What's applicable in the US isn't applicable here. Every child brings a different culture with him to school and if we force them to take on these practices, they may not adapt well. The world of linguistics is always in constant conflict, struggling to define the most basic literacy needs of people and along with these struggles, theories evolve and newer ones are borne. And I don't know why I am majoring in it.