1. Who should enroll?
People who are interested in earning their international Montessori teaching
diploma in a convenient, professional and cost effective manner.
2. How do I
benefit from this program?
FLEXIBILITY
NAMC Montessori distance learning programs are designed
to help you acquire your Montessori teaching diploma without
compromising your personal life.
AFFORDABILITY
Without question, the quality and prices we offer are
unparalleled in the Montessori training industry. Our
programs include full-color curriculum manuals, training
videos and blackline masters/curriculum support materials
at no extra cost. Our tuition prices are fully inclusive
- there are no additional fees.
QUALITY
Our Montessori training curriculum manuals are the most
comprehensive, user-friendly and visually attractive
ever produced. Our training videos are also the most
detailed and professional available today. And our blackline
masters and curriculum support materials save Montessori
teachers hundreds, if not thousands of hours of tedious
busy work.
SUCCESS
North American Montessori Center (NAMC) has graduates
from over 90 countries worldwide. Please
click here to read what our graduates say about
us and their NAMC training experience!
3. How do I
know if your graduates are satisfied with their NAMC
training?
Please visit our
Student Testimonials to see what our graduates have
to say about us.
4. From start
to finish, how exactly do your international diploma
programs unfold?
The day we receive your registration form we will courier
your curriculum materials and assignments directly to
your door. Delivery time is typically two business days.
Shortly after you enroll you will receive a letter
from your tutor. You are welcome to call your tutor
toll-free (if you live in Canada or the USA) or email
anytime for assistance.
If you devote three hours to your studies each week
you will comfortably complete each of your three sets
of assignments within ten weeks (Infant/Toddler and
Preschool/Kindergarten programs), twelve weeks (Lower
Elementary 6-9 program) or sixteen weeks (Upper Elementary
9-12 program). Students may accelerate their schedule
if they desire.
You are welcome to either email or mail us your assignments
for marking. After we have marked your assignments we
will email you feedback; and if you live in Canada or
the United States we will also call you.
The day your tutor receives your first assignment,
NAMC will courier your second assignment to you and
the above process is repeated; the same procedure is
followed for the final component.
Students receive their international Montessori teaching
diploma within three weeks of successfully completing
the final set of assignments.
5. Upon graduation,
how will my diploma look, and read?
To view a sample diploma, select the program of your choice
below:
6. What do your
assignments involve and how are they graded?
At NAMC we focus very intently on helping our students
gain a thorough understanding of the information crucial
to becoming a successful Montessori teacher. Although
we feel grammar and composition skills are important,
they are not the subject of this course of study and we
do not assign university-level critiques and research
papers.
For the most part, students are required to answer
comprehensive and objective questions. Answers typically
take the form of short sentence answers and summaries.
Our grading procedure is rather unique and we are proud
of it; it is one of the reasons motivated learners do
not fail. When we grade a student’s assignment,
if they have provided an incorrect answer we do not
simply mark it wrong. Instead we make a note of the
question and review it with the student to ensure that
they correctly understand both the question and the
correct answer. Our goal is more than simply ensuring
that each assignment is completed in full, our mandate
is to help our students succeed.
Examinations are not part of our assessment process.
Evaluation is based on the timely and successful completion
of all assignments. Although our tutors are wonderfully
supportive, disinterested students do fail. NAMC is
proud of the fact that dedicated, motivated learners
have never failed.
7. What do your
programs cost?
We work hard to keep our prices the lowest available.
To view tuition fees, please click the program you are
interested in below:
8. How do I enroll?
Select the appropriate quick link provided below:
9. How many
graduates successfully acquire employment?
The number of Montessori schools has doubled in the last
ten years, so it is a truly opportune time to be a Montessori
teacher. Like graduates from all Montessori training programs,
NAMC’s graduates are extremely successful in acquiring
employment.
Regulated career training centers are not permitted
to promise students employment upon graduation, but
we can assure you that Montessori teacher demand has
never been higher and NAMC graduates are embraced all
around the world.
10. What is
your refund policy?
NAMC offers the most generous refund policy available.
Enrolled students have seven days to look through their
materials, change their minds, and receive a 100% tuition
refund. If a student does withdraw from a program after
the seven-day perusal period, NAMC does not require
any future payments.
11. How long
will it take to complete my program?
Our Infant/Toddler and Preschool/Kindergarten programs
are completed within seven months, our Lower Elementary
program is completed within nine months and our Upper
Elementary program is completed within twelve months.
Time permitting, students are welcome to accelerate
their schedules. The minimum program completion time
is six weeks.
12. How much study
time do I need to devote to my program?
Please plan to study one-half hour per day, five days
per week.
For a convenient overview, please click one of the links
below:
13. What if I
can’t complete my assignments by the required date?
All regulated centers of advanced learning have schedules
that must be adhered to.
All the same, we understand that unforeseen circumstances
can arise to challenge even the most dedicated student.
NAMC does grant extensions upon request.
14. What are
the academic prerequisites to enroll?
To streamline our enrollment process, we have adopted
the same academic prerequisite as your local college
or university. NAMC requires candidates to have a Grade
12 (or equivalent) education. Of course, as Montessorians
we do realize that having a grade 12 diploma is a far
from perfect endorsement that an interested candidate
will, or will not be able to work well with children.
Please
contact us if you have any questions.
15. Am I able
to teach with just this diploma?
It depends on where you live. The answer is yes in some
areas, and no in others. It can depend on a variety
of factors, such as class size, whether you want to
start off working on your own in the classroom, educational
background, prior experience, etc.
If this is a concern, we recommend that individuals interested
in teaching infant and preschool aged children contact
either someone in the industry that they know or their
local government agency responsible for childcare licensing.
People interested in teaching elementary aged children
are also advised to contact someone they know or their
government office responsible for Elementary education.
Private, independent or charter schools are often much
more flexible with their educational requirements.
16. Is the
NAMC diploma recognized internationally?
Yes. Dr. Montessori bestowed her method to all the people
of the world. Like all Montessori Diplomas, ours is
recognized internationally.
NAMC does not offer an upgraded "International
Diploma" for an additional fee because, in truth,
if additional training is necessary, the training center
left pertinent information out of its original program.
Wherever you teach, either you know the method and
curriculum or you do not. A Montessori program in Dubai
should look and feel just like one in New York. And,
except for the language barrier, the teachers should
be interchangeable.
17. You have
several programs. Which ones include curriculum manuals,
training videos and blackline masters/curriculum support
materials?
Our Infant/Toddler (0-3) program includes:
- Seven full-color curriculum manuals (total 1,266
pages)
- Click here for more Infant/Toddler details:
Program Overview
Our Preschool/Kindergarten (3-6) program includes:
- Six full-color curriculum manuals (total 1,241 pages)
- Beautifully designed and illustrated blackline masters
provided on CD (475 pages)
- Professionally produced teacher training videos
that follow the curriculum manuals (Over five hours
total). Online format is included with our diploma
program. DVD format is also available for sale.
Click here to view samples.
- Click here for more Preschool/KG details:
Program Overview
Our Lower Elementary (6-9) program includes:
- 14 full-color curriculum manuals (total 2,920 pages)
- Beautifully designed and illustrated blackline masters
provided on CD
- Click here for more Lower Elementary 6-9 details:
Program Overview
Our Upper Elementary (9-12) program will include:
- 15 full-color curriculum manuals (new program
for 2007)
- Beautifully designed and illustrated curriculum
support material provided on CD
- Click here for more Upper Elementary 9-12 details:
Program Overview
18. What are the
Preschool/Kindergarten Program training videos?
NAMC has developed over five hours of beautiful video
demonstrations that follow many of the activities set
out in our comprehensive curriculum manuals. Together,
the NAMC manuals, videos and blackline masters offer invaluable
lifetime teacher resources for the Montessori teacher.
To view samples of our superior videos
click here.
19. What are
the blackline masters/curriculum support materials?
NAMC now offers a comprehensive collection of reproducible
blackline masters and templates that provide activities,
teacher support, self-testing worksheets and nomenclature
materials that correspond to the related curriculum
manuals. Blackline masters are currently available for
the Preschool/Kindergarten and Lower Elementary (6-9)
diploma programs. Curriculum support material is being
developed for our Upper Elementary (9-12) program. Created
by professional designers and artists, they include
beautiful visuals that are a pleasure to work with.
These blackline masters and support materials equip
the Montessori educator with high-quality, exceptional
tools for student learning activities at the most competitive
prices available, and can be purchased separately.
To view samples and prices, please click the appropriate link below:
20. Who is
NAMC registered, affiliated or accredited with?
As required by Canadian law, we are registered with
the Private Career Training Institutions Agency of British
Columbia (PCTIA). We are also registered with the National
Association of Career Colleges (NACC) and the Canadian
Association of Young Children (CAYC) and we are members
of the International Montessori Council (IMC), the Pacific
Northwest Montessori Association (PNMA), the British
Columbia Montessori Association (BCMA), and the International
Association of Montessori Educators (IAME).
Proud members of:
The International Montessori Council |
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21. Are NAMC,
AMS, AMI and MACTE interchangeable?
No, we are not. To better understand these organizations,
please read the following:
AMS
AMS training programs require that students spend a
minimum of 840 hours (or six months) in their programs
to graduate. AMS does not offer distance learning options.
NAMC graduates are welcome to join AMS as general members:
View AMS General Membership Information.
To apply to join AMS as a NAMC graduate, simply download
an application form from the following link:
AMS General Membership Application. Complete the
form, including the necessary information about your
NAMC training, and either fax or mail in your application
directly to AMS. Do not forget to include a copy of
your NAMC diploma with your application.
*As a NAMC graduate, your school is certainly welcome
to join AMS. As a new school, you will apply to join
the Initiate category. Click on the link below to download
your application form:
AMS School Membership Application.
AMI
AMI training programs are typically one full year in
duration and require full-time classroom attendance.
It is likely that out of the approximately 6,000 Montessori
schools in the USA, the 189
AMI-accredited schools will choose to hire their own
graduates first. Naturally, the other 5,811 schools
almost all hire teachers who have been trained outside
the AMI realm. Canada only has three (3) AMI accredited
schools.
If you would like to join AMI, you are welcome do so.
To become an AMI member, simply follow this quick link:
AMI Membership Application.
MACTE
To qualify for MACTE accreditation, centers must require
that students spend a minimum of 200 hours in the classroom
with an instructor, and a minimum of 400 hours as an
intern in a MACTE-accredited classroom. Unfortunately,
MACTE does not accredit distance learning programs.
When MACTE does start accrediting distance-based Montessori
training centers, we will examine their proposal and
decide whether it is in our member's best interest to
join.
OUR VIEW
We feel that MACTE accredits quality Montessori Teacher
Education programs, and we know that our training programs
offer candidates a very positive alternative for acquiring
their Montessori training and diploma when financial,
time and travel commitments for MACTE centers are prohibitive.
Click here
to see how our graduates feel about their training experience.
22. Will the
lack of association with the above bodies affect my
career prospects?
It is possible for any Montessori-trained teacher to
encounter a biased teacher or administrator. Every Montessori
teacher, regardless of their training background is
exposed to this risk. But the most recently available
research conducted by NAMTA (AMI) in 2005 found that
"Few schools explicitly cited either an AMI or
an AMS diploma as a prerequisite (for employment). In
addition, there was no significant difference in salary
among individuals with Montessori credentials from various
associations."
We certainly agree with this statement because we know
that the teacher holding the diploma is far more important
than the diploma itself.
23. If a specific
Montessori diploma isn't the most important aspect for
my Montessori career, what is?
Without question, the most important predictors of Montessori
career success are the inherent personal qualities that
you bring to the profession. Consequently, now more
than ever administrators hire candidates who present
themselves as child-oriented, knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
Most administrators also agree that although parents
expect teachers to have Montessori training, few are
interested in its source. In fact, most parents have
never heard of AMI, AMS, NAMC, MACTE, etc.
Parents are, however, vitally concerned with these
issues:
- Is this a teacher with whom I am comfortable entrusting
my child?
- Are the children in this environment happy?
- Are the children being intellectually challenged?
- Will my child experience secure emotional growth,
and develop to his or her full potential in this
environment?
Most Importantly:
- In my opinion, is this the most impressive Montessori
environment available for my child to attend?
Quite simply the letters on a Montessori teacher’s
diploma are at the bottom of parental priorities. Parents
are only truly interested in the observable quality of
the individual school or classroom. Montessori owners
and administrators realize this, and to prosper, they
hire accordingly.
As far as securing a teaching position, a Montessori
diploma from one training center might help you at some
schools, and depending on the school’s philosophy,
hinder you at others. One thing we do know…schools
with an exclusionary hiring policy (most often AMI and
to a lesser degree, AMS schools) definitely bear the
brunt of today’s Montessori teacher shortage.
They are not able to hire the best teacher available
from the deepest pool of Montessori educators. In this
regard, independent Montessori schools enjoy a tremendous
staffing quality advantage.
24. Will I
be able to teach at any Montessori school with my NAMC
diploma?
Even though AMI, AMS and MACTE oriented schools routinely
hire our graduates, we cannot promise you positions
at any school. Of course, neither can AMI, AMS, or MACTE.
We can assure you that independent (unaffiliated) Montessori
schools vastly outnumber affiliated schools (in the
USA, Canada and around the world), and this trend is
increasing. All Montessori schools are realizing the
tremendous advantages that independent schools enjoy;
the long-term benefits of being able to hire the best
teachers for their school, regardless of affiliation,
is simply beyond dispute.
25. Is an internship
or practicum required?
No. If we required an internship it would eliminate
many wonderful candidates who depend on their employment
income to live.
26. Is an internship
or practicum important?
The answer is yes, but mainly no. Yes, because prospective
employers appreciate seeing initiative on the part of
the student. They want to be assured that an applicant
is enthusiastic about working in a Montessori environment.
If students have the time, we recommend that they offer
their services as a volunteer teacher to a local Montessori
school(s) in the final component of their NAMC Montessori
training program.
No, because the reality is that very few schools (if
any) will hire a teacher straight out of any Montessori
training program to manage one of their classes. Virtually
all Montessori administrators feel that all first-year
graduates require at least one year of on-the-job training
with an experienced teacher before they assume leadership
of a Montessori classroom. To these schools, an internship
is unimportant as they know that anyone they hire will
be spending a year with one of their experienced Montessori
teachers. Schools are looking for enthusiastic, child-oriented
graduates to join their team and embrace their ideals.
27. What salary
can I expect to earn?
Salaries differ across the country and even vary considerably
within communities. The best answer to this question
is to ask someone you know.
For reference purposes, the most recent salary survey
we are aware of was conducted by NAMTA (AMI) in 2005.
The median salary a newly trained Montessori graduate
could expect to be offered then was:
Infant/Toddler: $24,960.00
Preschool/Kindergarten: $26,556.00
Lower Elementary: $33,280.00
Upper Elementary $35,773.00
The majority of the schools also include benefits.
28. Does NAMC
offer financial aid including student loans, scholarships
or bursaries?
We are sorry, but we just can't. If we offer student
loans, scholarships or bursaries to some students, then
our fees would have to rise for the rest of our student
body which would defeat our mandate to offer everyone
the lowest price possible.
If you simply cannot make the three equal payments,
we would be happy to discuss a monthly credit card payment
plan with you. This option is somewhat more complicated
and involves a delay in your program start date. Please
contact our center for details:
Toll-free (USA & Canada): 1.877.531.6665
International Callers: 604.531.6665
Email: info@montessoritraining.net
29. How do I enroll?
Select the appropriate quick link provided below:
30. How can I contact
the Training Center?
Email:
info@montessoritraining.net
Telephone:
Toll-free (USA & Canada): 1.877.531.6665
International callers: 604.531.6665
Fax: 604.531.6698
Mail:
NAMC
13469-27th Avenue
Surrey, BC V4P 1Z1
Canada |
