STORY 63
LEARNING ABOUT RULESTherapeutic Characteristics
Problems Addressed
■ Resenting rules
■ Antisocial behaviors
■ RebelliousnessResources Developed
■ Learning the need for rules
■ Exploring the values of rules
■ Observing the benefits of rules
■ Seeing how we set rules in our own lives
■ Learning to set equitable rulesOutcomes Offered
■ Appreciation of the reasons for rules
■ Appreciation of the benefits of rules
I bet if I asked most kids your age what they thought about rules they would screw up their noses
and say that they hated them. Like when parents say, “If you want to go to the movies this afternoon
you need to tidy up your room, that is the rule”—most kids answer, “I hate rules.”
I have a friend, a teacher, who tends to teach in some unusual ways. She asks kids what they think
about rules and gets the usual response. So then she plays a game with them. She has a big plastic sheet
of Chutes and Ladders that she spreads out on the floor. She splits the class into three or four teams
and asks them to play against her to see who can win. When it comes to her turn she rolls the dice
two or three times in a row.
“Hey, you can’t do that,” some of the kids will object.
When she lands on a chute, she might move on to the next ladder and climb up rather than slide
down to the end of the chute.
“Hey, you can’t do that,” object the kids even more strongly.
“Why not?” she asks.
“Because it’s against the rules,” assert the kids.
“What does it matter?” my teacher friend asks.
“It isn’t fair,” they respond. “You’re cheating. We’re not equal and everyone should have the
same chance.”
She then begins to ask her class why they think there are rules in school, in the playground, on
the football field, on the roads when we are riding a bike, or at home. Her students often come up
with lots of reasons for rules. Things work better when we have rules, they say. Or, if we didn’t have
rules at an intersection how would we be able to ride our bikes safely, or walk across the road with
all the cars, trucks, and buses around? Everyone could be in a lot of trouble. Rules help people to get
DEVELOPING SKILLSDeveloping Life Skills 159