Scholarship Opportunities for Vermont Language Teachers and Teacher Education Students at the Middlebury College Language Schools
In an effort to share its language resources with as many teachers and students as possible, Middlebury College will offer a Vermont Language Teacher Scholarship, for Vermont language teachers in secondary schools and for Middlebury College Teacher Education students, in the summer 2010 Language Schools.
To help current and future language teachers increase their language proficiency, enhance their pedagogical skills, and learn how to use educational technology in the classroom, Middlebury will offer scholarships, in any of the ten languages offered, to applicants who meet the following criteria:
• One scholarship for a current high school language teacher in Vermont. This person will live on campus, must take the Language Pledge®, will receive course credit, as well as remission of tuition, room, and board for one summer. The applicant must be currently employed as a language teacher in a Vermont secondary school and want to engage in further study of the language he or she is currently teaching, or preparing to undertake the teaching of a second foreign language.
• One scholarship for a Middlebury College Teacher Education student who is in the process of becoming certified to teach a foreign language. The student will live on campus, must take the Language Pledge, and will receive course credit, as well as remission of tuition, room and board for one summer. The student must receive the endorsement of the Director of the Program in Teacher Education at Middlebury College.
The Middlebury Language Schools
Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish
*Note that all Arabic School courses in 2010 will be offered at the Mills College, California, site of the Language Schools.
With the Language Pledge and a commitment to the integrated study of language and culture serving as hallmarks for all ten Middlebury Language Schools, generations of language educators have benefited from “the Middlebury approach” - experimenting, testing, refining, but always demanding the utmost in dedication from themselves and from their students. The result is foreign language education that works. More than 30,000 students have pursued study at the Language Schools throughout its 96-year history; over 10,000 have earned graduate degrees, and most of these have themselves become language teachers, making Middlebury’s national impact on language teaching even more dramatic.
At Middlebury, language is considered to be the bridge that links person-to-person, culture-to-culture, and nation-to-nation. As we witness growing linguistic and cultural diversity and burgeoning interest in forging economic links with other countries, it is important that we pay attention to the adequacy of our linguistic resources to meet the challenges. Middlebury’s primary goal is to have a positive impact on language education, to ensure that language teachers throughout Vermont have the opportunity to become as effective as possible, and to nurture teachers as a resource of critical importance to Vermont’s educational and economic future.
Application Process
• Complete all portions of the on-line application for the appropriate Language School by February 15, 2010.
http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/ls/admissions/
The application fee is waived for applicants for this scholarship.
• In addition to the letters of recommendation required for admission, submit a letter from the school principal (or Director of the Program in Teacher Education in the case of Middlebury College students) nominating the applicant for the Vermont Language Teacher Scholarship, explaining how the program would contribute both to personal development and to the goals of the applicant.
• Applicants who wish to undertake the study of a new language must submit a statement that makes a case for the relevance of this language to their career goals. Most applicants will apply for study in the language(s) they currently teach.
Once a scholarship applicant has been accepted for admission, the application will be submitted to the Vice President for Language Schools, Schools Abroad, and Graduate Programs, who will review and select finalists. Selection will be based on demonstrated commitment to language teaching and evidence of academic ability and language competence.
The Scholarship is competitive, and we recognize that there are more qualified applicants than we are able to assist through this program. Applicants who are admitted but who are not selected to receive a Scholarship will retain their status as admitted students and may choose to enroll at their own expense or apply for need-based financial aid through Middlebury’s Office of Student Financial Services.
The Vermont Teacher Scholarship program is for one summer only; participants may not re-apply for assistance from this program. Participants may, however, reapply to a Language School for additional summers of study or for degree candidacy. If a participant is accepted for degree candidacy, the credits earned through the Vermont Teacher program may be applied to the degree if appropriate.