My School and My Village
Primary 3 · Social and Religious Studies
My School and My Village
Lesson 3 of 3
13 min
At the tap in Uwase's village, nobody stood in a line. Everybody pushed forward at the same moment.
A jerrycan fell and cracked. Water poured onto the ground and was lost. Two neighbours began to shout at each other. And the people who had arrived first went home last.
Nothing was wrong with the tap. So what was missing?
Suppose the neighbours agree on one sentence: Come to the tap, join the end of the line, and fill your jerrycan when it is your turn.
Now watch what happens. The person who arrives first gets water first. Nobody pushes. No jerrycan is broken. No water is spilled. Nobody shouts. Everybody goes home with water — and it is quicker for all of them.
That one sentence is a rule.
Now that you have seen it work, here is what a rule is: a rule is an agreement that tells us what to do and what not to do, so that people can live together safely and fairly.
Notice something important. The rule did not take anything away from anybody. It gave everybody a turn.
Every good rule has a reason. If you can say the reason, you will never forget the rule.
Three children each write a rule for the class drinking-water jerrycan. Test each rule with three questions: Is it safe? Is it fair? Is it clear?
Keza writes: Be good at the jerrycan.
Safe? Yes. Fair? Yes. Clear? No. What does be good actually mean? Nobody knows what to do with their feet and hands. A rule you cannot obey is not really a rule.
Gatete writes: Only the tall learners may drink.
Safe? Yes. Clear? Yes. Fair? No. Short learners get thirsty too. A rule that helps some people and hurts others is not a good rule.
Mutesi writes: Line up at the jerrycan, drink from your own cup, and let the youngest class go first.
Safe? Yes — each child uses their own cup, so germs do not pass from mouth to mouth. Fair? Yes — everybody gets a turn, and the smallest are protected. Clear? Yes — you know exactly what to do.
Answer: Mutesi's rule is the good one. It passes all three tests.
Rules are not made to spoil your fun. Rules are how many people share one place in peace.
Tip
Safe. Fair. Clear
Before you accept a rule — or write one — ask three quick questions:
Safe? Does it protect people from harm.
Fair? Does it treat everybody the same.
Clear? Do I know exactly what to do.
A rule that fails even one of these needs to be made better.
Think first, then tap Show answer to check.
Which of these is a rule, and which is only a fact? (a) Kigali is the capital city of Rwanda. (b) Wash your hands before you eat.
Answer: (b) is the rule, because it tells somebody what to do. (a) is a fact, because it only tells you what is true. A rule always tells people what to do or what not to do.
Your class has this rule: do not run inside the classroom. Give the reason for it.
Answer: Desks and chairs have hard corners, and the floor is hard. A running child can knock a friend over or fall and be hurt. The reason is safety.
Ishimwe suggests this rule: nobody may ever speak in class. Test it: safe, fair, clear?
Answer: It is clear, and it is safe — but it is not good, because you could never ask the teacher for help when you are stuck. A better rule: raise your hand before you speak.
Thirty children want to play football at break, and there is only one ball. Write a rule.
Answer (one good one): Make two teams and play for ten minutes, then let the children who were waiting play the next ten minutes. It is safe, it is fair, and it is clear. Your rule may be different — test it with the three questions.
What would happen in your village if everybody stopped coming to umuganda?
Answer: The drains would block, the grass would swallow the paths, and the broken things would stay broken. Work that no single person can finish alone would never be done, and the whole village would become dirty and unsafe.
What you learned today
Quick check
Gatete's rule is: Only the tall learners may drink. Which test does it fail?
