The article, “The Problem of Common Sense” brings forth many points that are essential for a new teacher to begin to think about in order for us to work towards the goal of anti-oppressive education. Kumashiro describes common sense as the ideas, values, and norms that are taken-for-granted, and what everyone should know; those common sense ideas define what, when, why, and how we teach. That is to say, “common sense tells us that this and only this is what schools should be doing,” (Kumashiro, 2009). These embedded ways of thinking often reinforce oppression in schools by favouring certain students or groups, and disadvantaging others. They allow us to keep the status quo and avoid dealing with uncomfortable thoughts, discussions, and changes that could transform or school system to be anti-oppressive.

Common sense ideas of what is normal in our school system and classroom will ultimately affect and determine not only what, but how we teach. Paying attention to what we consider as common sense is very difficult; sometimes it is simply difficult to recognize a certain way of thinking/acting, and sometimes it is recognizable but difficult to want to change, as those common sense ideas can be very comforting to us. However, it is important to see these ideas in order to challenge the current prescribed methods of teaching. It is necessary to challenge them because, “research suggests that moral and social issues arise whether or not teachers intend to address them,” (2009). Therefore, it is important to pay attention to and ultimately change our common sense ideas in order to improve the experiences of our students that are treated differently or harmfully in our current system; address and change the knowledge that students have about those who are labelled, consciously or unconsciously, as different; and challenge the dynamics in our society that privilege certain groups and marginalize others. 

There are some common sense ideas surrounding curriculum and pedagogy that I will bring into my career as a teacher. One idea is the notion that proper grammar is not only professional, but necessary to be enforced in schools. While this is somewhat true, as far as getting one’s point across, it marginalizes many students who struggle with arbitrary spelling and grammar rules that are seen as professional and upper-class. This is something that reinforces classism in society. Another common sense notion I’ve recently become aware of is what is important to be taught in high school history class; based on my personal experience and discussion with others from Saskatchewan, our social and history classes tend to focus on early Canadian history and Western European history. Perhaps this is because many people in Saskatchewan have emigrated from that area. However, the common sense idea that this is what is important to know and be tested on perpetuates the notion that those who are White are dominant in society, and tends to ignore many other cultures that are just as prevalent in Saskatchewan as those of White European descent. Some other common sense norms that I carry include the idea that age and grade milestones are appropriate for everyone, testing is an effective way to demonstrate learning, and that our curriculum covers the content that is crucial for students to learn. Going forward, it will be crucial to step back and think about what I am learning and doing in my classroom in order to challenge my own common sense notions about teaching, and work to undo some of them in order to move towards a more anti-oppressive learning environment. 

Cited:
The problem of common sense (From Kumashiro. (2009). Against Common Sense: Teaching and Learning Toward Social Justice, pp. XXIX – XLI).