Articles

So, you need a safe space. Seriously? Let’s drop an anchor at the shore of common sense and examine this issue together. Link on homepage or go to @citizenscivics or civicsandcitizenship.org  Note: We are ready to go into production for our next group of episodes. Getting the new studio ready as I write new episodes. […]

What does your Memorial Day observance look like? I remember fondly the May weather, the parade, the celebrations of “Decoration Day” as my mother called it, and the visit to the cemetery to decorate the gravesite of a distant relative who lost his life in World War II.  I also remember that Memorial Day was […]

Common sense dictates that if we own something, we ought to know where to find it, right?  We have rights as American citizens but do you know where to locate those rights? It’s amazing to me that a significant number of Americans know more about their favorite TV shows than about their rights in the  U.S. […]

Americans in previous generations were taught that our nation was to be an example of freedom (including responsibility for oneself) to the rest of the world. They passed that American way of thinking down to me. We were not taught to flaunt freedom in the faces of other countries or to be falsely prideful of […]

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 […]

“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!  

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 […]

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.” […]

“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 […]

“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.” […]

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? 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”. 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 […]