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We encourage everyone interested in becoming a Montessori teacher to apply. We consider all applicants with a variety of life experiences and educational journeys. The following are qualities we’ve identified as indicators of successful program participation:

• Desire to support human development in positive and life-affirming directions including with Anti-Bias Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work

• Clear oral and written communication

• Capacities for organization, time management, and attention to detail

• Ability to collaborate within a community

• Commitment to alternative education

• Confidently operate personal computers, Google Shared Drives, Google Calendar, and Zoom

• Academic skills for success in a comprehensive and intensive course of study; ideally a Bachelor's degree (or higher) in any field, with a 2.75 GPA – Exceptions are made on an individual basis.

A non-refundable application fee of $150 is required. Have a credit card ready to submit your application.

• First & Last Name

• Preferred Name - Please provide a preferred name. This will be the name we will use to address you. Preferred names could include a shortening of your name, your initials, your middle name, or a nickname.

• Former Name - Please provide all previous names, if the name you have provided in this application is different. This information is especially helpful when incoming documents have different names.

• Pronouns - When we use pronouns like “she” or “he” to identify a person without asking them what pronouns they use, we might be making an assumption about that person’s gender that differs from their gender identity. Some people express their gender in a non-binary way and use pronouns such as they/them or ze/hir/hirs.

• Address - Street, City, State, Zip, & Country

• Phone Number

• Email Address

• Highest Level of Education

• Montessori Background

• How did your hear about Montessori Northwest?

• Are you interested in our M.Ed. Cooperative Program with Whitworth University?

• Will you receive Financial Assistance?

M.Ed. and Teaching Credential Options - MNW has partnered with Whitworth University in Spokane, WA to offer a Master of Education in Montessori degree which recognizes the work involved in Montessori training and provides additional coursework to enhance training in the complexities of classroom instruction. Our concurrent enrollment program provides the opportunity for you to earn credits towards your master’s degree for your Montessori training and to complete the additional degree requirements online with three specially designed courses for the Montessori environment. Also, Whitworth offers routes to earn your Washington State teaching credential at the Early Childhood Education (P-3) or Elementary (K-8) levels in combination with your master’s program.

Are you also planning to apply to Whitworth University?

Proficiency in English is critical to success in Montessori Northwest courses, as instruction will not occur in any other language than English.

One of the following is required of all applicants for whom First Language is Not English (FLNE):

• Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL), taken within the last three years, with a minimum internet score of 80 or paper-based score of 550 (school code B370), or

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS), taken in the last three years, with a minimum score of 6.5, or

• Transcript from a four year institution of higher learning wherein coursework is delivered exclusively in English, reflecting a minimum grade point average of 2.75.

Use the form’s checkbox to check one of the following:

• English is my first language.

• First Language is Not English (FLNE) and I acknowledge that I am responsible for providing English Proficiency test results, taken in the last three years, to MNW.

• I have lived, worked, or attended school in an English-speaking country for four years and I would like to request that this requirement be waived.

Official English Proficiency exam results are required. To confirm you have taken the exam, scored within the last three years, upload a PDF copy of your English Proficiency exam results. The PDF copy of your results must include that you have requested an official copy of your exam results be delivered to MNW. TOEFL or IELTS results must be emailed or mailed directly from the exam agency to Nick Stocco, nick@montessori-nw.org. Physical address Montessori Northwest Attn: Nick Stocco, 610 SW Alder St., Suite 721, Portland OR, 97205. Note: Email delivery is preferred.

This field is required for all applicants for whom First Language is Not English (FLNE). If you’d like this requirement to be waived, please upload a PDF of your waiver request. In your waiver request, note you want to have the English Proficiency Requirements waived because of a transcript from an English-speaking four year institution with a minimum GPA of 2.75, lived or worked in an English-speaking country for four years.

Will you receive Financial Assistance? - Financial aid can come in the form of scholarships, sponsorship from a school or organization, crowdsourcing, family, and/or friends.

Financial Assistance Type - Please select which forms of financial aid you expect to receive.

Financial Assistance Entity - Please note the name of the scholarship, school, organization, and/or crowdsourcing platform. For example: MES fund, Montessori Northwest, or Go Fund Me. Please type N/A for not applicable.

Invoice Recipient Contact’s Name - Provide the name of the person responsible for receiving and paying invoices. If you are not being sponsored, please enter N/A for not applicable.

Invoice Recipient Contact’s Phone Number - Provide the phone number of the person responsible for receiving and paying invoices.

If you are not receiving financial assistance, please enter N/A for not applicable.

Invoice Recipient Contact’s Email Address - Provide the email address of the person responsible for receiving and paying invoices. If you are not receiving financial assistance, please enter N/A for not applicable.

Acknowledgement of Official Transcripts - An official transcript from the institution of your highest level of education is required with your application. Official transcripts must be sent from your educational institution directly to Nick Stocco via email at nick@montessori-nw.org.

Course-by-Course Evaluation Acknowledgement - Applicants who hold degrees outside of the United States must have a course-by-course evaluation and translation of their academic records completed by an approved evaluation services agency. Request a course-by-course evaluation in order to provide MNW with the U.S. equivalency of the out-of-country credential, grade point average (GPA), and courses. Approved agencies are World Education Services, www.wes.org, NACES Members, www.myiee.org, AICE Members www.aice-eval.org/members, or ACEI Global, www.acei-global.org. The approved agency must send an official copy of the evaluation directly to Montessori Northwest.

Curriculum Vitae - Your curriculum vitae should include all employment and volunteer work (note the names and addresses of employers, dates of employment, and your title and responsibilities in each position). List all education, diplomas, certificates, awards, credentials, and trainings. (note names of institutions, including dates, major and/or degree or certificate achieved). Lastly, provide relevant volunteer work, hobbies, interests, etc. Upload a PDF copy of your curriculum vitae. An example of a curriculum vitae can be found here, https://cv-nation.com/blogs/news/3-teacher-cv-examples-with-cv-writing-guide-for-teachers.

Personal Essay - This essay will be used to demonstrate your written communication ability and supports your application for admission. It should be typewritten, professionally formatted, and approximately 1200 words in length. The essay should address the following questions and may include any other information you would like to be considered in support of your candidacy.

• How do you meet the Criteria for Admission?

• What is your experience with Montessori education?

• What influenced your decision to pursue the study of Montessori education at this age level?

• Why have you chosen AMI and Montessori Northwest to pursue your Montessori Teacher Training?

Anti-Bias Anti-Racist (ABAR), Justice, Equity, and Inclusion (JEDI) - As a teacher training center and hub of Montessori education in our region, it is our responsibility to prepare our staff, learners, and environment to ensure MNW is an inclusive space where every member of the community feels welcome. We recognize that each individual who walks through our doors experiences privilege and oppression differently. Understanding and responding to this is ongoing work for individuals and our organization.

Please answer the following questions:

• What is your experience and level of comfort with Anti-Bias Anti-Racism and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion work?

• How do you expect ABAR and JEDI to interface with your work as an AMI educator?

Responsibility, Time Management, and Organization - An essential Montessori principle is ownership of your learning process. In addition to class, learners typically spend 2-4 hours per day on their assignments. Use of technology requires learners develop and maintain personal organization of digital files. This structure and its management is a basis for the professional organizational etiquette they will demonstrate with their submission of assignments. During Practicum, learners are required to remain at the host schools until the end of the host school day; these differing/extended hours, and an altered commute often necessitates learners change their schedule.

Please answer the following questions:

• How do you take responsibility for your work and personal success?

• Which tools and skills do you use to complete complex projects requiring time management and organization?

Use of Technology - Learner life at MNW incorporates the use of technology. This means regularly receiving important information by email, accessing documents digitally, downloading, and uploading files from a hard drive or cloud to Google Shared Drives and Populi (our learning management system), and using Zoom. Adequate Wi-Fi access, internet speed, and audio/video capacity are all necessary to engage in online classes and discussion groups. Most of the work a learner completes involves word processing and preparing illustrations by hand, then scanning and uploading them for review. View MNW Technology Requirements

Please answer the following questions:

• What are your experiences using a hard drive or cloud based services for documents or files?

• Have you used an online learning management system, such as Canvas, Blackboard, or Populi?

• How comfortable are you participating in virtual meetings using Zoom?

Three letters of reference are required. These must be written within three years of the application date and must address the applicant's ability to meet the Criteria for Admission. At least two of these letters should be professional or academic. AMI diploma holders are encouraged to contact their former trainer(s) for letters of reference.