Mentorship. What Exists and "What I Need": In Search of Critical, Empowering, and Race-Conscious Approaches to Mentoring From the Perspective of Latino/a/x Teachers

• In Event: AERA Handbook Session 1

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the phenomenon of mentoring among teachers of color (TOC). Specifically, it considers the ways in which eight seasoned culturally and linguistically diverse, Latinx teachers describe their perceptions of faculty mentoring and its value within the context of public school teaching. As TOC interpret their own formal and informal mentoring experiences over time and across educational contexts, they reflect on their personal and professional needs as teachers of color (TOC) working in white normative educational spaces. The following five themes emerged from participant data: (a) traditional conceptions of mentoring, (b) promising examples (c) devaluing and discouragement, (d) identifying and negotiating conflicting messages, (e) naming, finding, and becoming what they need. We articulate each of these themes briefly, providing excerpts from participant narratives as exemplars. Upon discussion of each theme, we take up the question of what effective, critical mentoring for TOCs might look like within the context of the study, in relation to the extant literature, and the future of the field.

Authors

• Amanda Morales, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Pedro Espinoza, Kansas State University

• Kristin Duke, University of Nebraska - Lincoln