When Some Mentors Aren't Human: Expanding How We Understand Mentorship and Professional Support for Educators

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session One
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT029 (Wednesday)

Abstract

This research-in-progress re-conceptualizes mentorship by examining how mid- to late-career educators experience professional support beyond traditional human dyads. Drawing on posthuman, feminist, Indigenous, and affect theory, the emergent Board of Mentors framework maps the diverse human and more-than-human influences that sustain teachers across their careers. Using narrative inquiry, six veteran educators engage in individual interviews and a collective “Mentorship Mapping Lab” to visualize and reflect on their mentorship experiences. Preliminary pilot studies reveal the framework’s capacity to surface unspoken emotional labor, validate more-than-human mentors, and expand what counts as professional support. The study seeks feedback on methodological balance between individual and collective data, visual and narrative analysis, and implications for reimagining mentorship structures that sustain experienced educators.

Author

• Edith P. Middleton, Teachers College, Columbia University