Black Teacher Educators and White Preservice Teachers: Four Lessons for Effective Cross-Race Mentoring

• In Event: Cross-Race Mentoring and Mentoring of K-12 Novice Teachers

Abstract

Given the increased emphasis on effective mentoring, this essay shares anecdotes on cross-race mentoring with White pre-service teachers (WPTs), focusing on Black teacher educators (BTEs) because they face particular issues in a race-conscious society. Framed in Dubois’ (1916) double consciousness theory and McIntosh’s (1988) white privilege argument, the authors share the: (a) discursive dance between the perceptions and conceptions about persons of color that are juxtaposed against the mentoring activities of BTEs; (b) the mentoring stories of two BTEs; (c) K-12 incentive for BTEs to mentor White teachers in training; and (d) finally this proposal concludes with the lessons learned while mentoring across racial divides.

Authors

• Valerie Hill-Jackson, Texas A&M University

• Omah M. Williams, Texas A&M University

• Marlon C. James, Loyola University Chicago