Public Montessori teachers in Dallas received some well-deserved recognition earlier this year in a ceremony designed to highlight just how much effort goes into Montessori training.
At the ceremony, Montessori educators in the Dallas Independent School District (ISD) received pins and certificates in recognition of their long efforts — 300 hours of Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education-accredited training. That’s two years’ worth of work for most trainees. Each teacher also completed a nine‑month practicum, according to a story published by the ISD.
“I went through the lower elementary and upper elementary training,” said Rafael Ibarra, a Montessori teacher in the district. “It was during the summer and every other Saturday. It was 40 hour weeks of a certain content, a certain subject, and we had to write a lot of papers, but it was a great experience.”
Ibarra is a Teacher of the Year for Magnet/Choice nominee.
The Dallas ISD is committed to its robust public Montessori programs, offering two Magnet schools and four “Transformation Schools” available via public lottery. All six programs are tuition-free, of course.
But prepping educators to work in those programs is anything but free. That’s why it’s so amazing that Dallas ISD shows its commitment by funding the training for its Montessori educators.
The National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector (NCMPS) operates a Montessori Teacher Residency (MTR) program that provides training while allowing teachers to work in classrooms, making training more accessible for busy educators. That ultimately means more Montessori for more kids.
Learn more about the NCMPS MTR program here.
David worked in private Montessori for more than twenty years as a parent, three-to-six year-old and adolescent teacher, administrator, writer, speaker, and advocate. In 2016 he began working with the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector. David lives in Portland, Oregon.
