Experience as Knowledge: Centering the Experiences and Perspectives of Teachers of Color in Mentoring Programs

• In Event: 45.049 - Understanding and Addressing the Teachers of Color Shortage for and From Diverse Communities

Abstract

Efforts to increase the diversity of US teachers have intensified, yet teacher education and mentoring programs remain mired in normative whiteness. This study considers the experiences of participants in a mentoring program for teacher candidates and practicing teachers of color that aims to counteract the isolation and alienation present in contexts marked by whiteness. Utilizing qualitative methods and grounded in a culturally sustaining framework, the research explores the ways that a mentoring network can influence the professional identities of racially and culturally diverse teachers. Findings underscore the need for mentoring that acknowledges the salience of racial identity in teaching and provides teacher candidates of color opportunities to safely and explicitly make visible their experiences as they become teachers.

Authors

• Anne Burns Thomas, SUNY - College at Cortland

• Carrie E Rood, SUNY - College at Cortland