“Commonsense”

I found that Kumashiro defines “commonsense” as the status quo, or the norm. That the way education is structured, the way it is taught, and what is taught, is the normal and is therefore common sense. For example, in the reading Kumashiro describes that school being taught September-June in the Western school system is common sense, simply because it is our normal. 

It is so important to pay attention to the “commonsense” because it impacts the way we live our lives. People just blindly accept who something is being done or what is being done simply because it is normal. This blind acceptance is why it is so important to pay attention to common sense. This common sense is normal, and is there for familiar and comforting to everyone, especially when other aspects of your environment are changing or in turmoil. However for some, Kumashiro states that common sense can also be very oppressive. The idea of blind acceptance of the “normal” means that some practices may never be questioned, or people may be scared or unsure about questioning the status quo. How because some things are considered normal, that minorities are often left out or treated unfairly. For this reason it is important to pay attention to common sense and pay attention to the positive and negative effects it has on our lives, who it is affecting more than others, and what needs to change and evolve.