Montessori Training Center of New England - Capitol Region ...

Montessori Training
Center of New England
Hartford, Connecticut
AMI Teacher Education
“The child is capable of giving us tangible proof of the
possibility of a better humanity.”
– Maria Montessori
In affiliation with
Association Montessori
Internationale

What is Montessori
Montessori is a philosophy of life with pedagogical applications based on the
observations and insights of the Italian physician, Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-
1952). Through her observations of children all over the world, Dr. Montessori
discerned universal patterns of human development, which are expressed naturally
and spontaneously in all children regardless of their cultural setting. She created an
educational approach based upon these natural patterns and grounded in a profound
respect for all life. Over the past 100 years, children throughout the world have
benefited from this educational approach that supports, nurtures and protects
natural development.
In the United States, Montessori education includes Infant-Toddler, Pre-School,
Elementary and Adolescent programs, in both public and private school settings.
Montessori school programs exist on every continent, and professional opportunities
for the Montessori graduate abound at both national and international levels. These
opportunities include teaching in public and private Montessori schools, as well as
employment in fields such as school administration, educational and social research,
parent education, program development, material production, adolescent education
and family counseling.
The Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)
Dr. Maria Montessori founded the Association Montessori Internationale in 1929
to protect the integrity and completeness of her work and to guide its continued
development and application in the interests of children throughout the world. AMI’s
objectives are to maintain, propagate and further the ideas and principles of Dr.
Montessori for the full development of the human being.
AMI Teacher Training Courses reflect these objectives by providing comprehensive and
authentic Montessori pedagogy. The MTCNE is an AMI training center. AMI Teacher
Trainers are master teachers with many years of classroom experience and have
completed an intensive, internationally recognized “training of trainers” program to
qualify as AMI Directors of Training.
“The concept of education centered upon the care of the living being alters all previous
ideas. Resting no longer on a curriculum or a timetable, education must conform to
the facts of human life.”
– Maria Montessori, from The Absorbent Mind

The Montessori Training Center of
New England (MTCNE)
The Montessori Training Center of New England was founded in 2003 to meet the
urgent need for Montessori teacher training in the Northeast. Since opening, the Center
has served as a hub of activity within the Montessori community. Continuing education
seminars and workshops, employment referral and professional development are
among the many services the Center offers regularly.
MTCNE is located on the Learning Corridor campus in Hartford, Connecticut, and serves
as a central location for Montessori activities by offering support for alumni and area
Montessori schools. The Center is managed by the Capitol Region Education Council, an
educational service center also located in Hartford.
MTCNE
43 Vernon Street
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: (860) 757-6139
Fax: (860) 757-6456
Web: www.crec.org/mtcne
Email: mtcne@crec.org
MTCNE Staff
Managing Director – Tim Nee
MTCNE Coordinator – Dianne Webber
Director of Training – M. Shannon Helfrich
M. Shannon Helfrich is a primary-level trainer, lecturer, consultant and examiner for
the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). She has been involved in Montessori
Education since 1971 and holds an AMI Primary Diploma. She served as the Director
of Training for the Montessori Institute Northwest from 1988-2003 and is the founding
trainer for the Montessori Training Center of New England. She also serves as the
Primary Director of Training for the Australian Montessori Teacher Education
Foundation.

MTCNE Course Offerings
Upcoming Courses
For more information on these courses, please visit our web site at
www.crec.org/mtcne or call the Center at 860-757-6139.
The Academic Year Primary Course will be held from September 13, 2006 to
June 8, 2007.
Classes are held Monday- Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The Primary training includes lectures, the creation of reference/curriculum
albums, practice sessions with the materials, material making, and oral and written
examinations. Course lectures highlight the Montessori philosophy and examine the
materials and lessons in practical life, sensorial, language and mathematics. During the
course, four sessions are scheduled in which students leave the Center to complete the
observation and practice teaching components.
AMI requires a minimum attendance of 90% and full participation in the course in order
to qualify to take written and oral examinations.
An AMI diploma is granted upon satisfactory completion of the course requirements in
lecture attendance, observation work, practical sessions, material making, submission
of reference and curriculum albums for all courses and the practice teaching component
for the Primary courses.
The Summer Format Primary Course is offered over the course of three summers
beginning in July 2006 and includes two winter seminars:
Term 1: July 5-August 22, 2006
Winter Seminar: January 13-14, 2007
Term 2: June 25-August 10, 2007
Winter Seminar: January 19-20, 2008
Term 3: June 23-July 18, 2008
Classes will be held Monday-Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.
All summer course students will make arrangements to complete the observation
requirement in their local communities between terms 1 and 2, and the practice
teaching requirement between terms 2 and 3.

Tuition and Fees
Primary Academic Year – September 2006 - June 2007
Primary Summer Course – July 2006, 2007, 2008
Tuition Application Fee Exam Fee
Primary Academic Year $7,500 $100 $250
Primary Summer Course $7,750 $100 $250
FEE SCHEDULE:
Primary Academic Year
Registration
$500 upon Acceptance
Rest of 1st Payment $3,500 due by Sept. 1, 2006
2nd Payment $3,500 due by Jan. 1, 2007
Exam Fee $250 due by April 15, 2007
Primary Summer Course
Registration
$500 upon Acceptance
Rest of 1st Payment $3,600 due by June 1, 2006
2nd Payment $3,650 due by June 1, 2007
Exam Fee $250 due by June 1, 2008

Admissions Process
Application for admission to MTCNE may be submitted at any time during the calendar
year. Applications are considered active upon receipt of the application fee. Priority
consideration will be given to all applications received by early application deadline
established for each course. After this date, consideration for the course will be on a
space-available basis.
The Teacher Training Course is limited to a maximum of 30 students. When a course is
filled, successful candidates will be placed on a waiting list in the order accepted with
the option of deferring registration to the next available course.
Criteria for Admission
Acceptance into the Montessori Training Center of New England is based on evaluation
of the application packet, previous academic record and a personal interview. The
educational standard for the course is a bachelor’s degree in any field. Exceptions are
considered on an individual basis.
Successful candidates will demonstrate qualifications and suitability for successful
participation in the course, including:
• Academic skills for success in a comprehensive and rigorous course of study
• Clear oral and written communication
• Capacities for organization, time management and attention to detail
• Ability to collaborate within the community of the Center, its students and
cooperating Montessori schools
• Commitment to alternative education
• The desire to support human development in positive and life-affirming directions
Financial Aid
MES 2000 Scholarship Program
The MES 2000 Scholarship Program is administered directly by the Association
Montessori Internationale-USA. To apply for this scholarship, candidates must first
be accepted into the AMI Primary Teacher Training Course. The AMI-USA office
must receive applications for this scholarship program no later than May 1. Contact
Montessori@amiusa.org for more information.
Other scholarship monies may also be available by contacting MTCNE.

Who Trains to be a Montessori Teacher
Montessori education attracts a diverse group of candidates for teacher training. They
come from many backgrounds and vary in age from college students to retirees.
Some have always had the goal of becoming Montessori teachers, occasionally
motivated by their own experiences as “Montessori children.” Others have been
attracted to the teaching profession, but were disappointed and discouraged by
experiences in conventional forms of education. Discovering Montessori education
rekindled their vision, inspiring them again to pursue work as educators.
For many applicants, Montessori teacher education represents a complete change
in their professional goals – perhaps inspired by their own experiences as parents,
relatives or friends of children. Applicants come from a wide variety of career and
academic backgrounds.
Whatever their background or age, all share a common desire to find work that is
personally fulfilling and makes a positive difference in the world. And all find their
previous knowledge and experience uniquely respected and valuable in support of the
Montessori vision of Education for Life.
Teacher Certification
Students completing the AMI Primary Course can be eligible for a Connecticut State
Teaching Certificate in Public Montessori Teaching. Eligible candidates need to have a
Bachelors Degree, pass the Praxis I PBST Exam and complete four additional courses if
not part of their existing transcripts.

Other Services of the Montessori Training Center
of New England
In addition to teacher training, MTCNE offers consulting services to Montessori
education programs, including workshops for parents, staff and alumni. MTCNE
employs various speakers and consultants who can deliver the following kind of
services:
Teaching Workshops – Workshops for teachers cover the gamut, from material
making to progress reports. Workshops for teaching assistants review the theory and
principles of Montessori, including shared responsibilities and how to appropriately
assist the teacher throughout the classroom.
Continuing Education – A variety of continuing education opportunities are available
for Montessori teachers from the Montessori Training Center of New England. Please
contact the Center for more information. One such opportunity for alumni of the Center
who have earned their AMI Diplomas is the chance to audit any of our lecture series
as refreshers and to keep up-to-date on advances in the Montessori philosophy and
teaching tools.
Parent Workshops – Montessori experts from the Montessori Training Center of New
England are available to provide overviews of the Montessori philosophy to parents,
including integrating the philosophy in the home. Workshops may also be about specific
topics, such as reading and writing in the Montessori classroom.
Support Staff Workshops – Beyond the classroom, staff members in Montessori
programs should be aware of the role they play in the students’ education. These
workshops provide concrete examples of how to incorporate the Montessori philosophy
in all student interactions.
Administrator Workshops – Administrators, too, may want to consider working with
MTCNE consultants on such topics as matching Montessori with the state curriculum
requirements.
Call MTCNE at 860-757-6139 for pricing and availability.

Suggested Readings
The following books are available through the Montessori Training Center of New
England, local bookstores and the web site of the North American Montessori Teachers
Association, www.montessori-namta.org.
By Maria Montessori:
The Child in the Family
What You Should Know About Your Child
Education and Peace
The Secret of Childhood
The Absorbent Mind (particularly for ages 0-6)
To Educate the Human Potential (particularly for ages 6-12)
From Childhood to Adolescence (particularly for ages 6-18)
By Silvana Montanaro:
Understanding the Human Being (particularly for ages 0-3)
By Mario Montessori Jr.:
Education for Human Development: Understanding Montessori
By Paula Polk Lillard:
Montessori: A Modern Approach
Montessori Today
By E.M. Standing:
Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work
“The child developing harmoniously and the adult improving himself at his side is a
very exciting and attractive picture.”
– Maria Montessori

Montessori Training Center of New England
43 Vernon Street
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone 860.757.6139
Fax 860.757.6456
mtcne@crec.org
www.crec.org/mtcne
The Montessori Training Center of New England does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, age, national
or ethnic origin in its admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, educational policies or any other Centeradministered
programs.

Montessori Training Center of New England
43 Vernon Street
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone 860.757.6139
Fax 860.757.6456
www.crec.org/mtcne
In affiliation with Association
Montessori Internationale