Becoming a Montessori Intern...things they don't tell you!

Some how, you got the Montessori spell casted upon you, and fell in love with the philosophy. Everyone has a unique story on how they "stumbled" onto Montessori. Whatever it is, I can assure you the more you learn, the more you will be sold!

Most schools, especially those that are affiliated with either AMI or AMS (the top Montessori organizations in the world), require their teachers to be certified. There are some schools who will employ teachers as long as they are currently enrolled in the certification process. On the other hand, there are other schools who'll take anyone in with or without certification. (Be aware of those!)A lot of times, these schools claim to be "Montessori" but in reality aren't even close to it. In all fairness, there are some GREAT Montessori schools out there who aren't affiliated with AMS or AMI. You just need to do your research to find out which schools are legitimate, and which one's don't make the grade.

Part of the process of obtaining your Montessori certification requires a school year long Internship. When choosing an internship site, you need to do your research or your in for one hell of a year! Typically, if a school is certified by AMI or AMS, they usually are reputable and follow the Montessori guidelines. Therefore, your internship will be worth it's while. I have heard horror stories of people who were interning at "Montessori" schools that were not even close to what Montessori was all about. This defeats the whole purpose of the intership! So, be wise when choosing a school. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Now that you have decided you want to become a Montessori Teacher, you need to decide which type of training you want to recieve. The two MAIN organizations that offer credible certifications are-AMS certification or AMI certification. There are other organizations that provide excellent teacher training such as NAMC (North American Montessori Council) and IMC (International Montessori Council), but their status isn't as widely known as AMS/AMI. A lot of people choose other alternative teacher training because it isn't as rigorous and time consuming as AMS/AMI. A benefit is people can work at their own pace. The downfall is, not all Montessori schools will take people with diplomas from these alternative teacher training. As I mentioned before, you need to do your research!

What's the difference?

AMS stands for American Montessori Society. It was founded in 1960 and currently is the largest Montessori organization in the world. The purpose of this organization was to promote the principles and practices of Dr.Montessori within the context of American culture.

AMI stands for Association Montessori Internationale. It was founded in 1927 by Dr. Maria Montessori herself. She created this organization to make sure that Montessori would live on strong, even after her death.

They both are great organizations. I personally went through AMS because I felt there were more schools in the United States that were affiliated with this organization-which makes my chances of landing a teaching position higher. Either route you go, you'll gain valuable knowledge!

Typically if the school you want to work at is affiliated with AMS, you should look for an AMS Training Center. If your school is affiliated with AMI, then you should look for an AMI training Center.

If you plan on getting certified through AMS, check out www.amshq.org to find training centers in your area. If you are going through AMI, check out www.montessori-ami.org.

Tutition varies between training centers. Depending on location, you can pay anywhere between $3500-$5500. I took my training in Chicago, and paid $5400. (It's a little on the high end), but the school is very reputable in the Midwest area.

Now, what schools DON'T tell you is that you will be investing way much more than the initial tuition. After adding up all the extra materials you need for class, you can tack on anywhere between $300-$500 on that price!

What extra materials? Well, for one, you are going to have to buy 5-6 binders that will be used for your albums. (sooner or later you'll begin to refer to them as your "Montessori Bibles".)On top of that, it's recommended that you buy sheet protectors to make sure all of your write ups are safe and sound. Remember, these albums are going to be with you for the rest of your Montessori career. You want them to be kept in good condition because you will be referring to them from time to time. Maybe at first, you'll seem annoyed at buying 500 sheet protectors (they're expensive!), but in the long run, you'll thank yourself.You'll need to pick up a few packs of dividers so you can organize your albums. You definately want to invest in some Printer Ink because you might be doing a lot of printing especially if your school requires you to write up EVERY single presentation-which is over 250+. (My school gave us the write-ups, but I've heard of training centers that make their students do it themselves! My heart goes out to you!). You might need to invest in some good crayons, markers, ect. because some training centers require a lot of handmade materials. There are 6 books that Maria Montessori wrote that are ESSENTIAL READS.

The Absorbent Mind
The Secret of Childhood
The Montessori Method
The Advance Montessori Method
The Discovery of Child
Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook

Each training center is different, but the above gives you a basic idea of the "other" things you need. So, be sure to budget accordingly.

Based on my research, there are a few ways training centers schedule their classes.

Option A:
Take a 5-6 week intensive course over the summer. You can expect to be in school anywhere between 8-10 hours a day. (My course was 8:30-6:00). After your intensive course, you will be required to complete an academic school year internship (typically 9 months). Some training centers require you to intern anywhere between 3-4 hours per day M-F. You obviously can work more hours if your school has the availability. During your internship, you will have to meet 2 or 3 times for weekend seminars. My program has a total of 3 weekend seminars during my entire Internship spread out in October, January, and finally March. Once you are done with your internship, the next summer after your are done w/ all the required testing, you should have a diploma in your hand.

Option B: Not many people can afford to take 6 weeks off their job in the summertime. (especially in this economy), so some training centers have tried to make accomodations for those that work. Some schools offer night classes twice a week, and then school all day Saturday. This goes on for the entire year while you are doing your internship. You still are required to work between 12-15 hours a week at your intern site. (every center varies) A lot of people prefer this because it fits their schedule better.

Option C: If you aren't going to go through AMS or AMI, you can choose to go through NAMC. They offer online and correspondent courses. What's great about this is you can work at your own pace, and not have the pressures of strict deadlines. As mentioned before, not all schools recognize this diploma as being sufficient to teach at their school. So, choose your training center wisely!

To read more about my life as an intern, check out my new blog at

http://montessorisecrets.blogspot.com/

Stay tuned for more lenses on Montessori!