Kumashiro uses different examples to explain common sense. Overall, the author has defined commonsense to be normalities about aspects of society. Common sense does not hold what ifs or could, rather it states shoulds and is. As Kumashiro states: “Common sense does not tell us that this is what schools could be doing; it tells us that this and only this is what schools should be doing.”
Kumashiro uses personal experiences from Nepal to explain the concept of common sense. the author uses differences between Nepal’s educational traditions and the United States’ educational traditions to explain how common sense can vary from place to place. For example, in Nepal schools are very structured with a textbook that holds examples for students that are not strayed away from. While in the U.S. teachers tend to create their own examples for students to work on. Both are a part of each different country’s commonsensical ideas but are different from each other drastically. Another example of Kumashiro using the Nepal curriculum versus the U.S. curriculum is the use of exams. In Nepal, there is a year-end exam to determine if a student is ready to proceed to the next grade level. The author tries to create a classroom similar to the U.S. curriculum where there are assignments, projects, and exams to create a final grade. Many students did not like the change or did not understand how or why a classroom could be structured as so. The students questioning the change demonstrate the use of common sense within the Nepal curriculum the author is faced with.
The author defines common sense as an embedded aspect of humans and society. Things that do not need to be identified or questioned. Kumashiro uses differences that may not harm students, they also identify where common sense can be harmful. For example, oppressive education can include racial, gender, or language oppression. The author describes oppressive education as a challenge because common sense allows it to continue in a school identified. It is important to be aware of common sense to avoid oppressive education, or to be able to identify when it is occurring.
It is important to pay attention to common sense in order to be able to avoid harmful actions and be aware of how common sense can limit education. Often when a perspective challenges common sense it is dismissed without question. Being able to identify when common sense is in play allows new thoughts that may have the potential to be beneficial can avoid being dismissed.
I really like your description of commonsense, and how you said, “Common sense does not hold what ifs or could, rather it states shoulds and is.” Commonsense is the normal and natural way of a culture doing things. You also explained the student’s use of commonsense in a good way. Explaining how uncomfortable the children felt straying from tradition in Nepal displays how difficult it can be to break the routine of a culture’s ways of commonsense. I also agree with you that commonsense can be harmful because of the oppression that goes unidentified within the school system. That is a similarity that I included in my writing as well.