Week 9 Reading Summary

Summary:
Prologue Teaching as if Life Matters
In the prologue, Christopher Uhl outlines using systems thinking to affect a better educational outcome for students touched by compulsory schooling. It is the author's position that we encourage intellectual development at the expense of affective development, creating wounds that prevent students from becoming self-actualized. Since teachers interact with such a large part of the population, teachers can transform how students think and help develop a society that is more reflective and smart about relationships big and small.

Chapter 5 Teaching as if Life Matters
In Chapter 5, Christopher Uhl posits that a lot of teacher/student conflicts center around fear and views of "otherness." He suggests instead that the teacher operate from the viewpoint that every human is interconnected. 

In the first part of the chapter the author outlines four concepts that we have been socially conditioned to accept as truth. The first is that reality is composed of opposites. The second is that the labels we give things limit our perceptions of them. The third is that in blaming and complaining we cause separation and give up personal responsibility for difficult situations. The fourth is that the social grouping subculture present in most schools reinforces the concepts of otherness and fear. To counter act the four mindsets listed above the author suggests that teachers shift to a mindset that accepts interconnectedness between all humans, re-evaluates labels and judgements, see the goodness in others, and create spaces where teachers and students can speak candidly and build relationships.

The second part of the chapter centers around changing language spoken in schools to change the culture to one based an relationships instead of fear. The author highlights another social conditioned truth that most Americans accept - that everyone is basically bad and selfish. Our language used because of our acceptance of this viewpoint creates separation. Chistopher Uhl outlines a model of speaking that helps build relationships. By using the Nonviolent Communication model, the speaker recognizes the needs of all parties involved and avoids using demands and negative language in order to get  personal needs met.

The third part of the chapter deals with cultivating relationships in the classroom. The author first urges the reader to evaluate how the physical layout of the classroom affects relationships. He then suggests enhancing the social culture of the classroom by creating a safe atmosphere for teachers and students to speak and listen from the heart. The third condition for cultivating relationships in the classroom is suspending personal judgement when dialogue is occurring. The fourth condition is not to be afraid of personal touch in the classroom, since touch can build relationships. The fifth condition is to co-create a set of shared commitments with students, in order to build an environment of shared responsibility to meeting a cultural mission.