Montessori Advanced Studies Conference

AMI-EAA is a grassroots and mission-based organization supporting AMI Elementary-trained teachers. It is managed by an all-volunteer board of six members. Our mission is to create a supportive and welcoming environment where AMI teachers can deepen and refresh the knowledge they gained during training. We aim to provide an opportunity for this vital work to be done in community with fellow diploma holders, guided by the wisdom and experience of an AMI trainer.

There has been a call for a return to offering an AMI-diploma course option at an annual conference. While EAA's focus remains specifically on AMI-trained elementary teachers, there is a recognized need and request for an AMI-diploma course option at the Primary and Assistants to Infancy levels as well. In the absence of an alumni association at those levels, and considering our history and infrastructure, we believe it is our responsibility to provide this experience at those levels too.

We fully acknowledge the importance of expanding our reach beyond diploma holders and educating the broader community about Montessori. However, we cannot forsake our core commitment to serve diploma holders. We support and promote events and education for non-diploma holders, such as the annual Montessori Experience, yet to preserve the integrity of AMI, we must maintain an annual opportunity to refresh our training.

We see our role as collaborating with AMI/USA and supporting their offering of the Montessori Experience. To facilitate this, we have chosen a nearby location during the same weekend. This allows an entire school to travel to San Diego together, share hotel accommodations, and for diploma holders to engage in deeper learning. It also provides administrators, assistants, and other community members a chance to participate in the many enriching offerings of the Montessori Experience.

We encourage all members and supporters of the AMI community to select the offerings that best meet their needs. Let us unite in our shared mission to support children and continue the rich legacy of the Association Montessori Internationale!

AMI-EAA has the sole purpose of supporting AMI trained teachers. It is run by an all-volunteer board of six members. It was AMI-EAA that created the refresher course to give elementary diploma holders an annual opportunity to revisit the depth and wisdom they gained in their AMI training. Later, AMI diploma holders at other levels requested to join this annual conference. Eventually, the conference became a co-sponsored event with AMI/USA.

While we recognize the need to grow our reach beyond diploma holders and to educate the larger community about Montessori, we cannot abandon our commitment and duty of serving diploma holders. We fully support and encourage events and education for non-diploma holders, however in order to maintain the integrity of AMI, we must retain an annual opportunity to refresh our training.

There has been a call for an AMI-diploma course option at an annual conference which not only allows for the deep-dive, advanced information that diploma holders find so valuable in their work, but also allows for camaraderie and community between attendees. While AMI-EAA's mission focuses solely on AMI trained teachers at the elementary level, there is a need and request for an AMI-diploma course option at an annual conference at the Primary and Assistants to Infancy levels as well. In the absence of an alumni association at the Primary and A to I levels, and given our history and infrastructure, we feel it is our duty to provide this experience at those levels as well.

The Montessori Experience (previously The Refresher Course) has become an annual event and tradition for many schools. It is a critical piece of the necessary continuing education for an entire school's staff. Schools have worked it into their budget to send teachers, assistants, and administrators to the conference each year.

If we offered an event for diploma holders at different dates and/or in a different location, schools could be forced to choose between them or would likely exceed their conference budgets if attending both. This way an entire school can still travel to San Diego together and even share hotel rooms, with diploma holders having an opportunity to take a deeper dive, and administrators, assistants and other community members having an opportunity to attend the many wonderful offerings of the Montessori Experience.

The decision to launch this conference came after extensive and thoughtful discussion within our board, with our membership and under the guidance of our pedagogical advisors.