Considering a career in teaching? Looking for classroom experience with a master teacher-mentor at an innovative K-8 school? Earn your Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Oregon teaching licensure at the Arbor School of Arts & Sciences.
The Arbor Teacher Training program combines small, seminar-style graduate courses with two years of full-time teaching in an Arbor classroom. Our apprentices focus on creativity in mathematics, writing across disciplines, and hands-on learning within innovative classrooms that utilize the gardens and woods of Arbor’s 21-acre campus. The second-year experience extends to other Portland metro-area schools, enabling apprentices to develop strong teaching practices within public school contexts as well.
We are accepting applications for our 2018-2020 cohort now. For more information, please visit our website, www.arborcenterforteaching.org. We welcome your questions; e-mail [email protected] or call 503-638-6399 to schedule an inquiry visit. The application deadline is March 1, 2018.
The Arbor Center for Teaching, in collaboration with Marylhurst University, offers a full-time, two-year apprenticeship guided by experienced teachers to complement formal study of educational ideas and practice.
Apprentice teachers spend forty-hour weeks learning the art of teaching. For two years, they remain with the same master teachers and their mixed-age classes, deepening their ties to students, parents, and colleagues and thereby understanding that quintessential element of good teaching: relationship. They are considered members of the faculty at Arbor School (their practicum site) and participate fully in all aspects of school life. In turn, they bring ideas and fresh energy to their classrooms and to the community at large.
During their first year, Apprentices take increasing responsibility for planning, instructing, and assessing children's progress in their classrooms. In the spring of this first year, Apprentices develop and implement their first work sample in either mathematics or literacy.
Apprentices’ second year takes a somewhat different shape. During the fall and winter terms, Apprentices write a thesis that analyzes a teaching process or project that they have conducted at Arbor School. They also leave Arbor one day each week to teach in public school settings, then complete a month-long public school practicum over the winter. This opportunity to teach in another school context broadens Apprentices' teaching practices and encourages collaboration among teachers across school settings. Apprentices return to Arbor for the spring term, "solo" teaching within their original classroom placements.
Throughout each school year and during summer term, Apprentices attend Marylhurst courses delivered at Arbor School and at nearby Marylhurst University. This coursework spans requirements established by the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) and Marylhurst, focusing on such areas as child development, assessment, social justice, methodology (including ESOL and Reading Endorsement prerequisites), and educational philosophy. Strong emphasis on literacy and reading underpins their preparation for work with young children from many backgrounds and cultures.
This combination of extensive classroom experience and coursework anticipating the growing multilingual and multicultural demands of school settings throughout Oregon mirrors current thinking about the best practices for teacher education. Graduates of the ACT/Marylhurst program leave their training well prepared to consider the needs of individual children within a variety of school contexts. After completing the MAT and finding a teaching position, graduates continue to receive ACT mentorship and coaching throughout their first year of teaching.
We seek people from diverse backgrounds who are innovative and perseverant workers, rigorous and inquiring thinkers, and reliable and worthy role models for children. Applicants should be deeply interested in teaching and engage collaboratively with other adults and children. Prior to admission, applicants should have completed a BA from an accredited college or university. Experience working with children is an asset in terms of developing seriousness of commitment to teaching, but it is not a requirement for acceptance to our program. The Arbor Center for Teaching is an equal-opportunity employer.
To speak with us and request a campus visit, please contact us. You may also contact Annmarie Chesebro directly at [email protected] or 503.638.6399. We welcome visits and admissions inquiries at any time of the year.
Tuition and Financial Support
- Current tuition to Marylhurst is $560/credit for the 54 credit MAT.
- Apprentices receive a 10% reduction in tuition costs for graduate courses held on the Arbor campus.
- Financial aid is available through Marylhurst.
- Arbor offers a monthly stipend of $625
- Summer employment opportunities at Arbor School.
- On-campus housing available (rent-free, $75/month for utilities).
Application Process:
Candidates must submit applications to both ACT and Marylhurst University:
Step 1: Apply to ACT. We are now accepting applications for our 2018-2020 cohort. To apply to ACT, please (1) notify us of your intent to apply, then (2) download and complete our ACT application form. Application deadline March 1, 2018.
Step 2: Apply to Marylhurst University. Please see Marylhurst University’s Education Department for details about Marylhurst's admission requirements. Applicants accepted to ACT will be recommended for admission to Marylhurst by ACT's Director of Teacher Training.
To speak with us and request a campus visit, please contact us. You may also contact Annmarie Chesebro directly at [email protected] or 503.638.6399. We welcome visits and admissions inquiries at any time.