The internship, however, is more than direct experience in the classroom. Additional activities such as observation, course work, seminars, planning, and reflective sessions comprise the remaining portion of the full school year internship experience. The interns have regular and frequent contact and school-based visits with their University Mentor and other education faculty members. The beginning and ending of the internship period in the cooperating local school systems will be defined by the respective school calendars, and the interns will be subject to the same vacation periods and holidays as other local school system personnel. The Interns begin course work during the summer preceding their school-based internship, taking six hours of graduate classes at Belmont during both summer sessions for a total of twelve hours.
Interns then take graduate classes during the fall and spring semesters.
Classroom mentor teachers who serve in the Internship Program participate in training to enhance their skills as classroom mentor teachers. Continuing support is provided by Belmont to mentors in their roles as mentor teacher and as members of the professional development team. Each mentor is provided a tuition scholarship which pays for six graduate hours of coursework during the year he or she serves as a mentor teacher. All internship team members contribute to the formative evaluation process. Secondary interns have one semester assignment in either 7th or 8th grade and one semester assignment in a grade placement 9-12.