Relational Crossroads Paths of Care in the Work of Special Educators

This article introduces the concept of anticipatory completion, understood as the prospective imagination of whether care will be recognised and received. Completion thus functions not only as a retrospective marker of successful care but also as a prospective influence on how care is directed and enacted. To ground this conceptual development in lived experience, the article draws on interviews with Swedish special educators who navigate their dual responsibilities towards pupils and teachers within relational and institutional networks of care. While relationships with pupils are described as emotionally meaningful and straightforward, relationships with teachers are often experienced as uncertain and marked by relational risk. This tension shapes how support is distributed between pupils and teachers and illustrates how caring relationships in schools are co-constructed through relational asymmetries and institutional conditions. The article thereby contributes a more dynamic and network-oriented understanding of care within educational settings.