“I’m Not Giving Up on Her”

This self-study explores the balance of enacting a pedagogy of care with the susceptibilities of engaging in excessive emotional labor. Rooted in the belief that supervisors are teacher educators, I explore how, without necessary guardrails, the relationship between supervisor and student teacher can lead to burnout. Through voice memos and conversations with critical friends, I learn to mitigate the impulse to therapize while amplifying practices that sustain and protect me and my evolving teacher educator identity. "How do I make her feel supported and loved and feel like she’s doing a good job - because she is - without burning myself out? And now knowing how fragile she is, how do I do my job to help her improve?" Voice message to critical friend, 25 August