A right is a choice to make your own opinion and entitlement to things such as education, religion, and freedom of speech. Responsibilities are duties or something an individual should do, such as following the law and rules.
In this sense, classroom roles and responsibilities go hand in hand with each other. By being assigned a classroom role, such as the Energy Monitor, it’s your responsibility to ensure the lights, electric plugs, and power sources are switched on and off at the right time. In the long run, this will save the teacher and other students time when one person has been assigned that job and ensure it is done correctly.
The Aim of Rights and Responsibilities in School
Rights and responsibilities aim to help children achieve their potential and become responsible citizens. It teaches children how to respect others, think critically, and make informed decisions. Evidence shows that children learn to respect others more when taught about their rights and responsibilities.
What happens when children learn their Rights?
- A better understanding of what is meant by rights and responsibilities
- A positive attitude toward school
- Develop better relationships with school friends and teachers
- Increased self-esteem
Discussing Rights and Responsibilities in the Classroom
If a teacher wishes to discuss children’s rights and responsibilities in the classroom, they can try using some of these prompts.
- Can you think of times when human rights have been disrespected and why people behave this way?
- Can people avoid behaving unfairly and disrespecting people’s rights?
- Do teachers and adults have different rights and responsibilities to adults?
- How do you feel when you have your rights disrespected by others?
Examples of Rights in the Classroom
A teacher may wish to discuss the class rights of children in the classroom. These may be:
- Receive a broad and balanced education
- Receive good-quality teaching materials
- Enjoy the privacy of lockers and trays
- Receive a caring and kind education from teachers and adults
- build friendships and work well with others
Examples of Classroom Roles and Responsibilities:
A teacher may also wish to discuss the classroom roles and responsibilities of students in Primary school. These could be:
- The Tidy Upper. This person’s responsibility is to keep the learning environment clean and tidy. This way, it will feel nicer to be in, where resources can be easily found and used for learning.
- The Resource Manager is essential when keeping an eye on classroom materials and ensuring they are dealt with care and respect.
- The Door Holder must hold the door open for fellow students at the beginning and end of lessons. As a result, people can quickly enter and exit and feel special when someone is holding the door for them.
- The Calendar Manager. Do you have a wall calendar in your classroom? One child could be assigned this role, with the job of always making sure the correct month is shown. They must also make sure the valid date is shown on the whiteboard. This is an excellent classroom role and responsibility when engaging children with calendars, months, and days of the week.
General classroom responsibilities for all students can be:
- Show respect to fellow students and adults and be polite
- Look out for one another and help others be happy
- Listen to and respect others’ views and opinions
