We began our human rights theme today by splitting up into mixed groups (each teacher took a group of 15 or so) and setting forth this question, "What rights do humans have?" I ran my discussion using a format called "Socrates Café" in which I can only ask questions and record the group's thinking. They needed no prompting. First on the list was "The right not to be enslaved" but later, when someone said you had the right to do what you want, someone else asked if that meant you had the right to own someone else. The group struggled for a bit — what happened when two rights were in conflict with each other?
The questions continued: What is a right and what is a privilege? The group agreed that a privilege is something that can be taken away, but it was much harder to define a "right." After all, someone could take your life away. Did that mean it was a privilege? Do all humans have the same rights? Do Americans have more rights than some other people? Do rich people have more rights or are they privileges? If you have the right to food (which was not universally agreed upon, by the way) then who is responsible for getting you food? "What if you don't have the resources for food?" one student asked. Who has the right to declare war? Do you have the right not to go to war? You have the right to be educated. Your parents have the right to make decisions about you. What if a parent decides that girls shouldn't go to school? Do they have the right to an education or does a parent's right to raise children the way they want come first? Who says a right is a right? Where do rights come from?
I am always nervous before an open discussion like this one. I know better than to be but I am. Then, as the debate ensues, I become inconsequential. Fourth and fifth graders are so excited by their nascent ability to think about and debate such abstract things. It's thrilling to them that there isn't a correct answer and that they may have a hand in figuring their world out.
The Rookery 
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