Our hopes for education coincide with those for our children: we want to help them grow into adults who will make the world an even better place for future generations. This goal may be a lofty one for a high school mathematics teacher, but it is important to keep our ideals clearly in mind as we develop ways to equip our students to live full lives and to make positive contributions to society. As educators we need to be responsible for teaching the skills that will enable students to (1) enter into a career or pursue their mathematics education and (2) become informed participants in a democratic society. The civic mathematics curriculum described in this article was driven by those objectives. It was developed over a summer and partially funded by a stipend from my school district