Time, Work and Money
Primary 2 · Social and Religious Studies
Time, Work and Money
Lesson 2 of 3
12 min
Let's begin
Walk with Gatete from his home to school. He passes a woman bent over her beans in the field. He passes a man on a moto. He passes a nurse in a white coat unlocking the health centre door. He passes his teacher, who waves.
Four people. Four jobs. Every one of them is helping Gatete — even the ones he has never spoken to.
Today you will meet the workers around you and see how each one helps.
Gatete's mother wakes up early. She digs. She plants. She weeds. She carries. That is work.
Work is what a person does to make something, or to help other people. Most grown-ups do work, and most of them are paid money for it.
Different people are good at different things, so they do different jobs. A person's job is the special kind of work they do all the time.
| Worker | What they do | How it helps you |
|---|---|---|
| Farmer | Digs, plants and harvests beans, maize, bananas and potatoes | You have food on your plate |
| Nurse | Works at the health centre. Gives medicine and bandages | You get better when you are sick |
| Teacher | Teaches reading, writing and counting | You learn something new every day |
| Driver | Drives a bus, a lorry or a moto | People and goods reach the places they need to be |
| Shopkeeper | Sells sugar, salt, soap and exercise books | Your family can buy what it needs close to home |
| Carpenter | Makes desks, doors and chairs out of wood | You have a desk to write on |
| Tailor | Cuts cloth and sews it | You have a uniform that fits you |
| Builder | Lays bricks and builds houses and schools | You have a classroom with a roof |
| Police officer | Keeps order and helps people who are in trouble | You are safe on the road and at home |
Look at the desk you write on. Who made it? Let us follow it backwards, step by step.
Count the workers. At least five people worked so that you could have one desk. That is the big secret of a community: we all work for one another.
Problem: Umutoni's little brother has a cough that will not stop, and his skin feels very hot.
Step 1 Ask: what kind of problem is this? Someone is sick, so it is a health problem.
Step 2 Ask: who has learned how to help sick people? The nurse.
Step 3 Ask: where do we find that person? At the health centre.
Answer: The family should take him to the nurse at the health centre. A carpenter is a fine worker, but a carpenter cannot cure a cough.
Some people think that only jobs with smart clothes are important. That is not true.
If nobody swept the market, rubbish would pile up and people would fall ill. If nobody dug the fields, there would be nothing to eat. Any work that helps other people is good work, and the person doing it has earned your respect.
You do work too, even though nobody pays you. Fetching water, sweeping the yard, helping your little sister with her shoes — that is all work. And on the last Saturday of the month, the whole village works side by side at umuganda for no pay at all, because a clean, strong village helps everybody.
Tip
To find the right worker, ask two questions
Sick goes to the nurse. A broken door goes to the carpenter. Far away goes to the driver. Easy!
Think about each one first, then tap Show answer to check.
Who grows the beans that your family eats?
Answer: A farmer. Farmers dig, plant, weed and harvest so that we all have food.
The door of Ishimwe's classroom is broken and hangs on one hinge. Which worker should the school call?
Answer: A carpenter. The door is made of wood, and the carpenter is the worker who makes and mends things out of wood.
Mutesi's aunt lives in Kigali. Mutesi lives far away in the hills. Which worker will help Mutesi reach her aunt?
Answer: A driver — the bus driver. Drivers move people and goods from place to place.
Name one job that helps you learn.
Answer: A teacher. (A headteacher or a librarian would also be a good answer.)
True or false? Sweeping the street is not a real job, because it is easy.
Answer: False. Every job that helps other people is a real job. A dirty street makes people sick, so the sweeper is protecting all of us.
What you learned today
Quick check
Match each worker to their work.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
