I've been mentoring this younger colleague for two years and lately I realize I'm learning more from our conversations than they are, but I'm afraid to admit that because it feels like it undermines my authority as their mentor. We have this great dynamic but I don't know how to acknowledge that the teaching is going both ways without making them feel like I've been using them.
More people experience this than they realize.
A mentor is discovering that authentic teaching relationships are inherently reciprocal, but struggles with how to acknowledge this mutuality without destabilizing the formal mentoring structure.
“Where Are You with Teaching as learning — the teacher's examined life?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.