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FIELD-BASED APPRENTICESHIP MODEL
Friends’ School is fortunate to offer a unique internship program to aspiring teachers by providing them with practical classroom teaching experience and coursework that will enable them to attain a Colorado teaching license as well as a Master’s degree in education.
Hands-On Classroom Teaching Experience
Teacher candidates spend four days each week for one school year in either an elementary or early childhood classroom, working alongside a mentor teacher in a co-teaching role. As teacher candidates move through their school internship, they gradually assume more teaching responsibility, develop more sophisticated answers to the day-by-day challenges of working with young children, and demonstrate proficiency on state-mandated performance-based assessments. The classroom experience focuses on a “gradual release of responsibility” from observing the lead teacher, to co-teaching lessons, to planning and teaching lessons on their own. There is a support team in place for the teacher candidate that includes an advisor, as well as the mentor teacher and director, who provides feedback and advice throughout the internship year.
Program Coursework
Coursework begins mid-August with an orientation week and continues every Friday throughout the school year. The all-day seminars are a blend of presentation, discussion, activity and dialogue, and aim to present and model best instructional practices. Its style intentionally creates opportunities for personal learning and collegial dialogue that reinforces the rich experiences had by teacher candidates in the classroom. The courses are taught by the program director, university professors, and master teachers from both private and public schools.
LICENSE & MASTER'S DEGREE
Colorado Teaching License
Teacher candidates are offered a State Licensure (Certification) Program in either Elementary Education or Early Childhood Education through the Friends’ School Teacher Preparation Program and its partnership with the Colorado Department of Education and the University of Colorado at Denver. Teacher candidates receive credit for their full-time work in the classroom and for the 225 hours of coursework. The license enables graduates of the teacher preparation program to teach in any pre-K to 3rd (early childhood) or K to 6th (elementary) public or private school in Colorado.
Master’s Degree
Participants in the preparation program can also choose to complete a Master’s in Education through our partnership with the University of Colorado at Denver. Teacher candidates in the master’s program receive eighteen hours of graduate credit for their classroom teaching experience and coursework completed during their internship year. An additional six courses on the UCD campus are required to complete the Master’s degree, generally taken during two summers. The Master’s degree is available in either Early Childhood Education or in Educational Psychology.
HOW TO APPLY FOR AN INTERNSHIP
Download and complete the application and return it to the address below by the February 8th deadline. (If you are unable to download, please call or e-mail for an application.) You must have a bachelor’s degree in order to apply.
Candidates who pass the initial screening will be notified by the end of February and invited to Friends’ for an interview in March. Out-of-state applicants should plan on spending a day or two at the school during this time. Final decisions on acceptance will be made by the end of March and the program will begin mid-August.
Please note:
In order for you to be accepted into any Alternative Teacher Licensing Program in Colorado, including Friends’, you must first have passed the PLACE or PRAXIS exam and fulfilled the coursework requirements set by the Colorado Department of Education. Please complete an application for the Alternative Licensure Program and mail to CDE, along with your college transcripts, as soon as possible. For detailed information on the process, and information on obtaining this application, please download CDE Requirements. Note college coursework needed and fingerprint requirements. You may apply to Friends’ School for the internship while you are completing the state’s requirements.
Information meetings on the program will be held at Friends’ School, and we would encourage those living in the area to attend. To sign up for one of these meetings and a tour of the school, please RSVP at 303-499-1999, x231, leaving your name, date you wish to attend, and phone number, and your time will be confirmed. The meetings are at 1:00 p.m. on November 13, December 4, December 11, January 15, January 29, and February 5 and last for about 90 minutes.
For questions about the program or application process (including fulfilling the CDE requirements), please contact:
Susan House
house@ecentral.com
Ph 303-499-1999, x231
Fax 303-333-4744
Friends’ School Teacher Preparation Program
5465 Pennsylvania AvenueBoulder, CO 80303
Frequently Asked Questions
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Friends’ School Teacher Preparation Program is all about creating genuine community. Through my experience this year I have made lasting connections with my students and colleagues. I feel like my presence is appreciated and valued in the classroom. This program has prepared me by putting me in the role of co-teacher in a completely authentic way. In addition, the Friday seminars have allowed me to develop theory-based skills and knowledge of best practice and how children learn. I feel very prepared to have a classroom of my own.
EMILY CLAY
2006 Graduate
Currently 1st grade teacher, Boulder Community School of Integrated Studies.
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Friends’ School Teacher Preparation Program has delivered an experience to me that is impossible to match and totally invaluable in my journey to become a professional teacher. In this program you get actual experience in a classroom four days a week. There is no amount of traditional lecture and book learning that can compensate for the experience of actually being in the classroom dealing with all the details of planning, engaging, and teaching in a school; only from actual daily experience can one appreciate the unique and demanding nature of what it’s like to be a teacher. I have learned so much here, and I am thankful.
MARK GENCO
2006 Graduate
Currently Math and Science teacher, Adams County 12
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Being immersed in the classroom and working directly with children each day as a Teacher Candidate was a valuable and rich experience. My mentor gave me as much time as possible to take over and lead the class, while providing me with any support I needed. This gave me the opportunity to experiment with teaching techniques and develop my skills. The hands-on Friday seminars directly supported my teaching in the classroom and provided a forum for the teacher candidates to share their own experiences and insights. The program gave me the skills and confidence I will need to successfully run my own classroom.
NICOLE CASPARI
2006 Graduate
Currently 2nd grade teacher, Second Creek Elementary, Commerce City.
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