Becoming a Montessori teacher

[michelleklu]

I'm interested in becoming a Montessori teacher and wanted some advice on how to go about it. I'm in my early 20s and haven't finished college yet. I was thinking of getting a degree in education or something child related. We're also an Army family and are currently overseas.

What college degree should I pursue?

We're planning on buying the NAMC albums to use with homeschooling. Should I also take the training they provide or wait until I have my degree?

I'm really interested in AMI certification and we'll be settling down in either the Sacramento or San Francisco area. Anyone know any good places around there for training or what the job field is like?

Any advice is appreciated.

[ADirrim]

Most Montessori training programs require a Bachelors degree (but not all- many places handle applicants on a case by case basis and make exceptions when appropriate); however, I would go ahead and apply to the training center of your choice and see what they have to say (at worst, you would be losing a small application fee).

Personally, I would not consider ANY training program that is not recognized by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) or the American Montessori Society (AMS) and the Montessori Accredidation Council for Teacher Education (MATCE); I think you would find that credentials from places that are not recognized by AMI or AMS/MATCE are not considered "legitimate" by the Montessori community and it would be very hard to get employment with them at a reputable school. The reason is that AMI, AMS/ MATCE programs maintain high standards for coursework, including numerous required formal classroom observations at reputable schools and a minimum of a year of supervised student teaching (other programs, which are conducted primarily online, do not have the important face to face interaction that Montessori herself belived was important in imparting her method. Probably the most important facet of training is watching an experienced practioner in the classroom- balancing competing demands, adapting and tailoring lessons to specific children, performing classroom record keeping, and observing classroom management situations. Non- AMI or AMS programs are often considered by the Montessori community to be like an online college degree, and not held in particularly high regard because they lack this component (to varying degrees).

After verifying that the program is accredited, I would consider the region where you plan to work- some areas of the US are almost exclusively AMI or AMS (usually depending upon what training center is nearby). AMI schools ONLY employ teachers with AMI credentials (otherwise, the school cannot be AMI accredited); AMS schools can employ teachers with either AMI or AMS credentials and still receive accredidation- in other words, AMS recognizes AMI diplomas but AMI only recognizes AMI diplomas. So, if you want to work in an area with a lot of AMI schools (or if there is a specific AMI school that you want to work at), you better get an AMI credential.

AMI primary diplomas are usually a two year program; AMS are usually one year.

Hope that helps!
Abigail Miller
www.bloommontessori.com
http://bloommontessori.blogspot.com/

[jenfl]

Having taken the NAMC course for the purposes of homeschooling my kids, I would say that I definitely don't feel qualified to teach a classroom of kids. It was perfect for the knowledge that I was looking for, to teach a child that I know. But to really teach, I'd want something AMI or AMS.

[Drummer's Wife]

I would do AMI if you possibly can. I am 0-3 trained this route and feel like it was very thorough in the Montessori pedagogy. It is based on Maria Montessori's work and beliefs, whereas AMS is tweaked a bit (said in the nicest way b/c I do think some of the changes are positive).

But, I agree that they will not likely let you attend without a Bachelors degree first. My training was Masters level, and the only reason I was allowed (w/o a college degree) was because I was sponsored through my employer who networked with the training center to allow for observations as well as hiring of newly trained Directresses. I had to sit through a pretty vigorous interview and complete a lengthy application process, as well. Then I was on a probation for the first summer until I could prove my commitment.

Where I was trained, 0-3 took 2 years; 3-6 took 3 years (summers were lectures/practicals, the remainder of the years were student teaching).

I would say get a Bachelors degree first and then go through either AMS or AMI - whichever has training courses in your area and meshes with your beliefs. If you can get a Masters this route, I would do so. Just be prepared to re-learn how children learn, if that makes sense

It takes longer than a "regular" teaching degree, but IMO, would be well worth it if your passion is in education.

Also, if you are wanting to teach 6-9 or 9-12 yo's, you will need a teaching degree anyway. Depending on the school, some will allow a 3-6 teacher w/o a teaching license, but getting into the training w/o a degree is unlikely.

ETA:

I just re-read your OP and realized that you are working on your college degree, so you likely already know you need that first sorry! I would get an elem. education degree?

[Lillianna]

Hey Michelle -
There is an AMI training center in Mountain View, CA - and a thriving AMI Montessori community in both No and So Cal.
The training is an amazing and transformative experience and the AMI community maintains this aspect as not only part of the training experience for adults, but part of every prepared environment at each stage of development.
The AMI training is done either in a 9 month academic course format or over the course of 3 summers. You could potentially get a job as a classroom assistant while you are working on your training during your time off.
Also, you can apply any related degree. For ex, my BA is in Anthro. Montessori herself had a medical degree and then later psychology and anthropology. You might want to go for the Ed. degree if you want to work at a Public Montessori.
Check out the info on AMI website about training. You can look at the current job postings, too.
http://www.amiusa.org/index.php?opti...d=64&Itemid=72
Good luck! Have fun!

[mamadebug]

I did the training at the AMI training center in Mountain View, CA. We had people in our class who commuted from Santa Cruz and Hollister - both a lot farther than SF. It was incredibly valuable, and I am so glad I did it.

I have a bachelors in Sociology with a minor in Spanish. I also have a multiple subject (elementary level) teaching credential, which I had before I entered the Montessori training program. The policy, if I remember correctly, was that they preferred incoming students to have a bachelors degree, but would evaluate on a case by case basis.

I did it over the course of one academic year (4 hours a day/5 days a week with 8 weeks, I think, of student teaching). I know there are also programs where you can do it over the course of three summers - San Diego used to offer that, not sure if they still do.

Good luck! It is so interesting, I am so glad I did it, and I learned so much about teaching and children.

[Lousli]

I'm an AMI trained teacher at the elementary level here in Sacramento. If you're planning to teach primary (3-6) there is the training center in Mountain View but if you're planning to teach elementary, you're going to have to travel. There aren't any training centers for elementary teachers on the west coast. But I'd love to talk to you about my training and and about working in Sacramento. Feel free to PM me at any time.