Mentorship. What exists and “what I need”: In search of critical, empowering, and race-conscious approaches to mentoring from the perspective of Latina/o/x teachers

• In Event: AERA Teachers of Color Handbook Session 1

Abstract

This study explores the phenomenon of mentoring among teachers of color (TOC). Specifically, it considers the ways in which eight seasoned Latinx teachers describe their perceptions of faculty mentoring and its value within the context of teaching. As TOC interpret their own formal and informal mentoring experiences over time and across contexts, they reflect on their personal and professional needs as TOC working in white normative educational spaces. We identify and articulate five themes from the data, 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 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