As a child, tried as I did, I never succeeded in learning to do a round -off flip flop. I learned the basics of dance but never mastered toe shoes. Girls’ basketball and volleyball were fun but I was not first or even second bench material. Here’s some other things that I tried but never […]
Critical Thinking vs Critical Theory
Americans seem to have left critical thinking behind and replaced it with critical theory. As I see it, logic, common sense, and thinking for yourself has been replaced by the prevailing opinions of the day… a sort of “groupthink.” Perhaps I will do a video teaching on this soon. For now, check out episode 14b […]
Listen. Think. Ask.
“Why” is a great three-letter word. Why? Because the answer gives you clues. It also helps you to be a better citizen. Check out episode 14, “Use Your Ears to Listen and Your Head to Think.” Just click on the video or podcast link on the homepage!
Geography is a Part of Citizenship
In episode 13 of Common Sense Civics and Citizenship, I discuss the fun of getting to know our fellow Americans. Today I looked up some information on South Dakota, a state on my bucket list. At first, I was only interested in seeing Mt. Rushmore but there is so much more to see! South Dakota […]
Do You Know Your Rights?
Do you know your rights? Most of us are familiar with the Second Amendment but have you read and understood your First Amendment rights or better, all of the Bill of Rights? I heard the quote, “It’s ok for me but not for thee.” In other words, if they like a right, that right only […]
Passing On Our Patriotism
You don’t need a trip to Washington to learn about our House (The House of Representatives). No matter what your level of interest, you’ll find fun details and info at www.history.house.gov There’s information on everything from the 1927 Congressional Club Cookbook, to the House Practice and Traditions, to Minorities in Congress, tothe History, Art and […]
U.S. Flag Etiquette
When I homeschooled my two young daughters, we started every school day with a prayer and then marching around the house with small American flags and singing the George M. Cohan tune, “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” They loved this start to their school day, particularly the rhythmic nature of the phrase “boast or brag.” […]
A nation of laws, not men
“Every child in America should be acquainted with his own country. He should read books that furnish him with ideas that will be useful to him in life and practice. As soon as he opens his lips, he should rehearse the history of his own country.” Noah Webster, On the Education of Youth in America, […]
The World of Work
“It is a grand mistake to think of being great without goodness and I pronounce it as certain that there was never a truly great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous.” -Benjamin Franklin In other words, we cannot be truly great unless we are truly good. In Episode 8, we explore […]
Opinion vs. Offense
“There isn’t name calling, or “opinion shaming” nor is there “instant offense” in a civilized society. Freedom of speech means that people are entitled to their opinion and can freely express that opinion. Learning how to form an opinion and express it respectfully rather than being instantly offended is just common sense civics and citizenship.” […]
The World of Words
Have you ever wondered how some of our words have a uniquely American spelling? Being the word geek that I am, I always wondered how Americans ended up with spellings that were different from the British English spellings- words like “flavor” (flavour), “center” (centre), “organize” (organise), and “traveler” (traveller). Seems like we not only declared […]
Who is the government? cont…
“Who is the government? It’s you and me. We, the People are the government, so if you push off your responsibilities you are making your neighbors do what you are supposed to do.” -Candace, Common Sense Civics and Citizenship,
We, the People
“We, the People”. Those. Three. Words. We memorized them as kids but I’m not sure we can really appreciate them until we pay bills, taxes and vote. I can say from experience that I memorized the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution as a kid but I never truly understood what “We, the People” meant until […]
Who is the Government?
“We, the People”. Those. Three. Words. We memorized them as kids but I’m not sure we can really appreciate them until we pay bills, taxes and vote. I can say from experience that I memorized the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution as a kid but I never truly understood what “We, the People” meant until […]
Welcome to Common Sense Civics & Citizenship
It’s just Common Sense Civics and Citizenship…. We’ve all looked around and sensed a dissatisfaction with the American way of life. It’s reminiscent of the 1960’s, isn’t it? It’s like the whole nation is up for grabs to the highest social/emotional bidder. At the encouragement of some friends, I started jotting down and videotaping thoughts […]
