• In 2011, four UMF Elementary Education students returned from student teaching in South Korea and the experience of a lifetime. The students took part in a new UMF program that offered them the opportunity to complete their teaching practicum at the English-speaking Daegu International School in Daegu, South Korea. Developed in partnership with Maine's Lee Academy, this student teaching program provides UMF pre-service teachers with invaluable professional experience that connects teachers on a global level. It also gives the budding teachers a more diverse perspective on the world. According to a news account, three of the four UMF students have accepted teaching positions offered them by the South Korean school for the 2011-2012 school year.

• In fall 2010, four Maine "Teachers of the Year," including three University of Maine at Farmington graduates, visited UMF for a day to share their professional experiences with students preparing to become tomorrow's teachers. During their visit, the four top educators stopped by UMF Education classes to answer student questions about the classroom experience and also presented a program on how to include parents as partners in their children's education. Note: Four of the past six Maine Teacher of the Year were UMF graduates and other states' Teacher of the Year have also been UMF graduates.

• UMF offers the only four-year degree program in Maine where students are admitted directly into the Elementary Education major. Here, there is no additional "apply for entry" requirement.

• Early in your Elementary Education program you will spend one semester helping, teaching and learning in a local school classroom two mornings a week. Later in the program you get to participate in a 16-week student teaching experience. Students often say these real-world, classroom experiences are a highlight of the program.

• Here, you'll have the opportunity to attend professional development workshops on campus and through your local school placements. Elementary Education majors have recently attended professional workshops such as Working with English Language Learners, Teaching in a Diverse World, and Response to Intervention.

• At UMF, Elementary Education students work with a large faculty that has specialists in many different content areas, including literacy, math, science, and social studies.

• Here, you will have the opportunity to attend professional state-wide conferences such as the Maine Science Teachers Association Annual Conference and the Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine annual conference.

• Recently, 500 UMF Elementary Education graduates responded to a survey about their program. They identified the following as strengths of the Elementary Education program: small class sizes in professional courses, close working relationships with faculty, and making connections with teachers in the schools.

• As an Elementary Education student at UMF you will get to use a variety of materials in the Kalikow Curriculum Materials Center, including tough screen computers, thousands of childrens books, math manipulatives, a SmartBoard practice facility, and a wide variety of adaptive devices for children with special needs.

• Here, you will study in the beautiful, state of the art, LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Education Center. All the Center's classrooms are equipped with technology tools for 21st Century learning and innovation.

• UMF is one of the very few teacher education programs in Maine to hold NCATE accreditation, recognized nationally as the standard for high quality teacher preparation.

For additional information about Elementary Education at the University of Maine at Farmington, just contact the Office of Admission:

Office of Admission
University of Maine at Farmington
246 Main Street
Farmington, Maine 04938-1994
US tel 207-778-7050
Intl. tel 00-1-207-778-7050
fax 207-778-8182
TDD/TYY 207-778-7275
umfadmit@maine.edu