Should I pursue traditional secondary teacher certification through my local college or university?
It's not necessary for Montessori. If you really want a solid grounding in Montessori pedagogy, a Montessori training course is the way to go. Post Oak is accredited by AMI (Association Montessori Internationale), the Montessori organization that was founded by Maria Montessori. Many teachers go through AMI or AMS trainings. AMI offers training for working with ages 0-3, 3-6, and 6-12. AMI oversees the Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies, which is a five week course that takes place each summer in Cleveland, Ohio. This would be the right program for anyone interested in middle or high school work in a Montessori environment. It's best when combined with any full AMI training, though my leaning is for the Primary (0-3) training.
Are there student teaching opportunities at Montessori high schools?
I'm sure we could figure something out. We'll be small and new though, so it might take us a little time to get our heads around it! Whenever you think something like that might be interesting, just let me know. A great start, of course, is coming to observe.
To prepare for teaching, is it more desirable to pursue my personal interests to a greater depth or to try to focus on familiarization with a broader range of peoples, geographies, time periods, etc.?
Great question! Answer: YES! Your interests will always guide your energy and students will always know when you're teaching from your heart. Neither of these can be ignored. Literature is great because it opens up opportunities for adolescents to see themselves in the characters of fiction and then to write their own stories, poems, dramas, etc. Our starting point is that students must feel that they have something worthwhile to say. Then, later, they can write (same as with younger children; spoken activities lay the foundation for writing). The teachers breadth is vital as well. Teachers must be able to throw all kinds of seeds into the fertile soil. Students don't need mentors/coaches/guides who are experts at everything. But they absolutely need to be around adult models who are interested in anything. As a teacher of writing (in all its forms), there will be much ground to cover from supporting a passionate poet to crafting the perfect horror story to reviewing a newly released book on quantum mechanics to writing an exposé on city water conservation. There's so much!
