Kumashiro describes common sense as being what a society believes is the correct way to function or behave within their community. Our version of common sense is ingrained into our daily routines and the rules of common sense are often passively followed. For example, in my house, it is common sense to take a shower every morning so one smells like soap instead of body odor. In countries where water is scarce, it would be common sense to preserve it and save it for drinking rather than bathing every day. Common sense varies depending on where one is and to what social group one belongs to.
It is important to pay attention to what we believe is common sense because everyone has their own version of it. Understanding why we believe something to be common sense and being able to compare it to the common sense of someone else will allow us to gain a new perspectives and perhaps change our values and beliefs of common sense as well. For example, Kumashiro has a different teaching style than the other Nepali teachers, but he has been taught or is under the impression that his American teaching style is much more efficient than the Nepali teaching style. Everyone else in his community seems to think otherwise. The community’s common sense tells them that although fun, Kumashiro’s teaching method is not efficient. Their perception of common sense causes them to dismiss ideas that could potentially improve their respective communities. The same idea can be applied to our own daily routines. By paying attention to what we believe to be common sense we can learn to question our own behaviour in an effort to be more open to values different than our own and thus create opportunities for self-improvement.