“Commonsense is Not Common” – The Problem of Common Sense

The reading assigned, named “The Problem of Common Sense” by Kumashiro (2009), tells readers about the wonderful and “eye-opening” story of a U.S. citizen attempting to conform into the lives of Nepali people in hopes of sharing them his schooling knowledge. Kumashiro described the meaning of common sense as “what everyone should know” (pp. XXIX). He talks about many things that are “common sense” Nepali people but not to him. One example of this scenario is Kumashiro being “accustomed to eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner” in the U.S., but Nepali people only eat twice a day (pp. XXIX) . In schooling context, the U.S. is heavily against child abuse, meanwhile hitting is a form of discipline in Nepal school system. Nepali students thinks this is a common sense in their school system, while the narrator, Kumashiro, thinks it is not.

Clearly Kumashiro’s attempt to influence the Nepali school system somewhat fires back at him in a way that it has turned into “a form of cultural imperialism” (pp. XXXIII). Kumashiro noticed this in an instant. Although the education system in Nepal is considered the common sense in Nepal, even though this education system is considered “outdated” in the U.S. education system, does this form of schooling appropriate? This is why people have to pay attention to the common sense, because common sense it not common for everybody.

Kumashiro’s common sense is cultivated on what he learned in the U.S. education system. This is the reason why he feels out of place in Nepal school system. Imagine this the other way; A Nepali teacher arrives in the U.S. to influence their ways of teaching. Clearly, the U.S. students will feel confused as to why the Nepali teacher’s way is not common sense to U.S. students. Common sense is fighting reformations of the schooling system. Like Kumashiro stated:

“Alternative perspectives, including perspectives that challenge common sense, are already dismissed as irrelevant, inconsequential, or inappropriate.” (pp. XXXV)

He further shared that he “did not question whether an outsider looking at [his] own taken-for-granted perspectives on what it means to teach would find them strange or unreasonable, or for that matter, oppressive” (XXXIII)

It makes people uncomfortable if their common sense is being questioned or reformed. With common sense in mind, we as educators and future educators need to understand that common sense is what stopping us to better the ways of teaching because we are used to the teachings we have always received since we started our education.

I want to share my story since I have spent 13 years of my life in the Philippines and have understandings of their education system. In the Philippines, we have to wear uniforms to school, and we get punished if we do not wear these uniforms correctly. We only have one break for six hours of school and that is for only 30 minutes. We do not walk to classrooms, instead, our teachers walk to our classrooms. So, we spend about six hours sitting on our chairs. When our teachers assign homework, it has to be finished the next day. This is my common sense in the Philippines’ education system.

When I arrived in Canada, schools do not require uniforms which is odd to me because how would you distinguish a person in a “working class” versus a student? We get to have three breaks in school: two 15-minute breaks and one lunch break. We would walk to our teacher’s classrooms, so before my school starts, I find my classrooms so I will not get lost. I do not have to do this in the Philippines because we stay in one classroom. Lastly, assignments have assigned due dates! I still remember my art teacher being surprised that I finished my artwork the next day when she only assigned it to me the previous day. But that is just how I lived my life back then. My common sense in the education system has reformed into what they call the “American way.”

To end this on a positive note, we should not look at common sense as something bad, rather a tool for us to look and examine what could improved our lives and in this context, the schooling system. This statement from Kumashiro sums up this narrative:

“Common sense is not what should shape educational reform or curriculum design; it is what needs to be examined and challenged” (pp. XXXVI)

“We need to be preparing teachers who desire the kings of exciting changes that are made possible when we radically change how we teach and learn” (pp XL).

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