MONTESSORI EARLY CHILDHOOD COURSE
North Shore, Massachusetts

The Northeast Montessori Institute holds accredited status from the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE Commission) for its North Shore Early Childhood teacher education course and is an affiliate course of the American Montessori Society.

Course Schedule (2010-2011)

Summer Phase

The academic course work for the Early Childhood program on the North Shore begins with a four-week summer session, held at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts. Classes are scheduled between 8:30 and 5:30 Monday through Friday.

Weekend Seminars

The academic phase also includes four weekend seminars, two scheduled during the fall and two scheduled during the spring. The seminars will be a time for the continuation of academic course work and material reviews.

Mid-year Seminar

Students and instructors will come together for a five-day seminar to be scheduled during the month of January. Along with on-going course instruction, students will have opportunities to review course assignments and receive individual feedback.

(Though infrequent, please note that seminar dates may be subject to change.)

Both the weekend and mid-year seminars will be held on the grounds of Notre Dame Mission Center for Education and Spirituality in Ipswich, MA. Meal plans and lodging are available during the seminars at affordable rates. Summer lodging (does not include meals) is also available on the campus of Gordon College. Arrangements can be made by contacting the Institute office.

STUDENT TEACHING PRACTICUM
North Shore, Massachusetts

The American Montessori Society and Northeast Montessori Institute require each Montessori teacher candidate to complete a nine-month teaching practicum in a 2.5 – 6 Early Childhood classroom. To meet the student teaching requirement for teacher certification, the student must teach in a Montessori classroom for at least a half day session for a period of nine months.

The Student Teaching Practicum will begin after the summer session, or students may wait until the completion of the academic phase. The requirement can be met in one of two ways:

Supervised Teaching Practicum

This internship is done under the direct supervision of an experienced Montessori teacher. During this practicum, a field supervisor contracted by the Institute will visit the student teacher three times during the internship year.

Self-directed Teaching Practicum

This internship involves the intern working as a head teacher in a Montessori classroom without the daily supervision of a Montessori teacher in the classroom. During this practicum the Institute requires the intern to have six visits from a field supervisor. Due to the increased cost involved in these visits, there is an additional fee of $450.00, payable during the student’s practicum year.

Wherever possible, we do recommend the Supervised Student Teaching Practicum model, since we feel that the student can benefit from the daily support of a Montessori teacher. In situations where the Supervised Student Teaching Practicum model is not available, the Institute will work with the school and student to provide the best possible self-directed student teaching experience.

In most cases, student teachers are paid a salary or a stipend by the practicum school site. All such arrangements are made between the student and the school and no assurances can be made by the Institute.

The Institute will provide assistance in locating possible internship sites if requested.

Note: Students who select a practicum site located more than 150 miles from the selected training site will be charged an additional fee to cover reasonable transportation expenses associated with on-site visits.

FINANCIAL MATTERS
North Shore, Massachusetts

Tuition payment plans are available through NMI. This information is available by calling, writing, or e-mailing the Institute. An initial deposit of $1,250.00 is due by June 1st, 2010. All student materials fees will be deducted from this initial payment and are non-refundable.

Student and Materials Fees

These fees cover the student’s intern membership in the American Montessori Society (AMS) for two years and pay the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) certification fees. These fees also cover materials provided by individual instructors, together with required textbooks and curriculum materials on CD. These fees are non-refundable.

Scholarship

The American Montessori Society offers partial scholarships. Applications are available by request through NMI, following receipt of program application, or can be found on the AMS website at: www.amshq.org. Students who choose to intern in a Montessori school in Massachusetts are also eligible to apply for scholarship through the Montessori Schools of Massachusetts (MSM). Scholarship application deadlines for the above are May 1st and March 15th, respectively.

Training Program Facilities
North Shore, Massachusetts

The Northeast Montessori Institute conducts Early Childhood courses on the North Shore of Boston, Massachusetts, on the campus of Gordon College, which is located just north of Boston in the town of Wenham. Resident facilities are available for our students who wish to live on campus during the summer phase of the program. Because of the beauty of the campus and its location near the ocean, many local students decide to live on campus in order to enjoy the recreational facilities and to have more time interacting with fellow students and instructors.

The Institute will conduct the Montessori program in MacDonald Hall, located on campus. This facility offers an air-conditioned lecture hall.

For students who will be commuting to the campus each day there is parking available on campus.

Recreational Facilities

Gordon College is located five miles from the Atlantic Ocean on a picturesque campus. This site provides a fresh water swimming pond, jogging and biking trails, and a modern sports facility which houses an Olympic size swimming pool, nautilus and weight room, racquetball courts, a running track, and even a rock climbing wall. Students have use of the building for a daily fee.

Residential Facilities

The program will have housing available for any students wishing to reside on campus. During the summer phase of the program students will reside in Dexter House, a large dormitory-type house situated just off campus. When possible, all of our students will be housed together so that there will be greater opportunity for sharing and interacting. Cost for on-campus living is presently being determined by the College. The cost has always been reasonable. For students wishing to reside on campus, please indicate this in the appropriate place on your application and the information about the actual cost for the coming summer will be sent as soon as it becomes available.

During the weekend seminars classes will be held at Notre Dame Retreat Center for Education and Spirituality, in Ipswich, MA, a neighboring town to Wenham. The Retreat Center is set on quiet rolling hills in a rural setting with wooded trails and peaceful meadows. The Retreat Center is adjacent to the residences of the Sisters of Notre Dame, and offers a quiet chapel for reflection, adorned with a three storey stained glass window. Meal plans and lodging are available at affordable rates during the seminars.

It is the belief of Northeast Montessori Institute that individuals wishing to undertake Montessori teacher training not be prevented from doing so due to financial restrictions. Northeast Montessori Institute is not, however, a lending institution and encourages applicants to seek alternate financing when available, as the meeting of its operating costs and salaries are based upon the responsible timely tuition payment of its students.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications to the Early Childhood Course of Study may be submitted at any time; however, those applications received after the beginning of the summer academic phase will be applied to the following academic cycle, as late enrollment is not permitted. Applications and registration materials can be received by contacting the Institute.

The Early Childhood Certification Program Application can be downloaded by clicking here.

Applications should be submitted with a non-refundable application fee of $50.00. All applications will be promptly processed and forms for letters of Recommendations and a Personal Statement will be sent. Official transcripts of all higher education will need to be submitted.

Official transcripts (and not copies) of higher education will need to be submitted to the Institute. Students may be admitted into the Early Childhood course of study who do not hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Upon the successful completion of the program, the student will be awarded the AMS Associate certificate. This credential may be up-dated through AMS to the full certificate upon the successful completion of a Baccalaureate degree.

Applicants holding international educational credentials and/or credentials printed in a language other than English will need to have the credential(s) officially evaluated and/or translated. This may be done through World Education Services (WES) or another comparable organization. Information and an application can be found on the web at: www.wes.org.

Admission to Northeast Montessori Institute will not be denied based on age, race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation.