Mussarat Shahid (Forman Christian College)
As educators navigate increasingly complex and emotionally demanding teaching landscapes, the question of ‘who we are when we teach’ becomes as important as what or how we teach' This roundtable invites participants into a collaborative exploration of pedagogies of archetypes: the idea that teaching is guided not only by rational methods and explicit beliefs, but also by symbolic, emotional, and archetypal energies.
Drawing on the work of Jung (1969), Dirkx (2001), and Palmer (1998), this session treats teaching as an act embedded in deep emotional structure, where archetypes such as the Mentor, Healer, Warrior, or Trickster unconsciously shape our pedagogical choices, classroom dynamics, and leadership styles. These archetypes offer profound insights into the affective and mythic dimensions of the teaching self, often overlooked in professional development.
Rather than offering prescriptions or models, this roundtable will create a dialogic space for educators, leaders, and researchers to:
share personal experiences where archetypal energies (e.g., protector, challenger, visionary) emerged in their teaching or leadership;
reflect on how these energies influence power, intimacy, and vulnerability in learning spaces;
consider how educational leadership might support identity development through symbolic and emotional literacy.
This session is grounded in narrative and archetypal theory (Hillman, 1975; Mayes, 1999) and invites critical engagement with the concept of an ‘inner curriculum;’ a curriculum of self that unfolds alongside subject matter. Participants will engage with prompts, metaphors, and image-based reflection to surface their lived archetypes and share insights from diverse educational contexts.
By convening educators across roles and settings, this roundtable aims to co-create new language, shared metaphors, and leadership strategies for emotionally sustainable, identity-conscious teaching practices.
While structured as a roundtable, the session integrates interactive elements, such as image-based reflection, metaphor prompts, and shared storytelling to create an embodied, participatory space. Participants will engage in guided exercises that invite them to articulate and explore their lived archetypes, contributing to a collective dialogue about the emotional-symbolic dimensions of teaching. The session will gently move between quiet reflection and shared conversation, giving each participant the chance to name and explore the roles that shape their teaching lives. Together, we’ll listen for patterns, language, and metaphors that help us speak more honestly about who we are when we teach.
Guided reflection prompts
Participants respond to image-based or metaphor-based questions:
What archetype have you unconsciously embodied in your teaching?
Which roles do you resist or suppress, and why?
How has your internal image of the ‘Good Teacher’ evolved over time?
Which inner role or metaphor helped you survive your most difficult teaching year?
If your teaching practice had a symbolic image or object, what would it be and why?
Participants share metaphors, metaphysical takeaways, or working questions they will carry forward.
What story are you living when you teach? This roundtable invites educators to uncover the archetypes guiding their practice and to reimagine teaching as a mythic, emotional journey of connection, transformation, and purpose.