The Practice of Care in Education: Shadow Teachers, Disability, and Inclusive Schooling

Mridula Muralidharan | pp. 80-88

Abstract:
This commentary examines the important yet often invisible role of shadow teachers in inclusive education through the lens of care ethics. Based on a year-long field engagement within a private, elite, inclusive school in the Delhi–NCR region, it highlights the essential role played by shadow teachers in supporting inclusion for students with disabilities. Shadow teachers provide academic and social support, facilitate their social participation, and serve as their advocates within the school. The work of Noddings (1984, 1992) and Held (2006) helps conceptualise them as important practitioners of care. Despite the unique position that they occupy, shadow teachers remain structurally unacknowledged by the school, which devalues the care work done by them. The surveillance and their limited agency affect the recognition of their work, creating precarious employment conditions. This commentary highlights the need to value the practice of care performed by shadow teachers as an essential aspect of the ethos of inclusive education.

Keywords: Care, disability, inclusive education, shadow teachers