What do Early Childhood Educators Learn from their Experience of Mentoring/Supervising Students?

 Supervising-mentoring early childhood education students in their field placement is considered a highly beneficial process for students. However, not much is known about how this process benefits supervisors. Therefore, supervising students is not considered an opportunity for the professional growth of supervisors. This qualitative research examined supervisor’ perceptions of their own learning while supervising students. Ten early childhood educators who supervise students contributed their views in semi structured, individual interviews. Six themes of professional growth areas were highlighted: supervisory skills, leadership skills, pedagogical knowledge and skills, reflective practice, professional resposibility, and organisational and systematic interdependence. These themes, branching out into further subthemes, also provided insights into supervisors’ thinking and its dependence on influences across all levels, from micro to exosystem. The study found that supervisors saw supervising students as a rich opportunity for their learning. It calls for reconceptulizing supervision of students as professional development, and systematically organizing it, including training for supervisors. Keywords: supervising students, mentoring, field placements, professional development,  professional growth, leadership, early childhood education,