tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049046492762224165.post4972921001079255711..comments2009-12-20T17:03:35.314-08:00Daniel Dean Gutierrezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03683065328760796603noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049046492762224165.post-33252263488380788682009-12-20T17:03:35.314-08:002009-12-20T17:03:35.314-08:00Paine might indeed have been a scientist at heart (he invented a smokeless candle and a new bridge) but I think he was definitely an educator at heart. I&#39;m a fifth-grade teacher in Colorado, and a crucial part of teaching civics is providing students with our primary sources: the founding documents. This is critical in understanding what “We the People” means. Today, like 230 years ago, those documents instill in students the belief that all voices are important. Every one of our citizens is needed to pursue liberty. Futures do not have to be inevitable and &quot;Little voices&quot; can make dramatic impacts on events. That is Paine&#39;s greatest contribution to our country. His pamphlet, Common Sense, spoke to all the voices in the 13 colonies during a time of great indecision. He gave a vast number of citizens a vision of what each could do, 176 days before the Declaration. A belief that power should radiate from the citizens. That message is still foundational for all our students today.<br /><br />Mark Wilensky, <br />author of &quot;The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine: An Interactive Adaptation for All Ages&quot;Mark Wilenskyhttp://www.newcommonsensebook.comnoreply@blogger.com