Every Right Comes With a Responsibility
Philo the wise owl perches on a wooden bench in a sunny schoolyard, holding a set of colorful rule cards and showing them to a small group of curious kids gathered in a circle around her.
- Explain what it means to have a right, such as the right to be safe or to speak up.
- Identify at least one responsibility that matches a right you hold.
- Compare how rights work like a two-way street between you and the people around you.
- Predict what happens to a classroom or community when people ignore the responsibilities that go with their rights.
Key terms
- Right
- Something you are owed because you are a person.
- Responsibility
- A duty, something you are expected to do.
- Two-way street
- When something goes both ways between people.
- Respect
- Treating others and their rights with care.
Rights Belong To Everyone
A right is something you are owed just because you are a person, like the right to feel safe and to be heard. Here is the big idea: every right you have, everyone else has too. When you want to feel safe, the friend next to you wants the very same thing. Because rights are shared by all, they connect us together like a community.
Where Responsibility Comes In
Because everyone shares the same rights, you have responsibilities to protect them. If you have the right to feel safe, you also have the duty to help keep others safe. If you have the right to speak, you have the duty to listen when others speak. Rights and responsibilities are like a bridge. When we hold up both sides, everyone gets to cross safely.
Worked examples
Your classmate raises a hand to share.
- Name the right: your classmate has the right to be heard in class.
- Name your matching responsibility: you have the duty to listen quietly while they speak.
Answer: You should listen quietly. Because your classmate has the right to be heard, your responsibility is to give them the same listening you would want.
Activity
Match each right on the left to the responsibility that goes with it on the right.
Practice
Name one right you have and its matching responsibility.
Tell what happens when everyone forgets their responsibilities.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Only other people have responsibilities.Everyone shares the duty to protect the same rights for others.
Check your understanding
Maya has the right to be heard when she raises her hand in class. What responsibility does this give her classmate Jordan?
Which sentence best describes the connection between rights and responsibilities?
Carlos thinks that because he has the right to feel safe, only other people have to worry about safety — not him. What is wrong with Carlos's thinking?
Recap
A right is something you are owed as a person, and everyone shares the same rights. That is why each right comes with a responsibility to protect it for others. Rights and responsibilities hold each other up like a bridge.
Reflect
What responsibility could you take to help others feel safe?