The Graduate School of Education's experimental, part-time plan of study for housewives who wish to become teachers has celebrated its first birthday.

Seventeen greater Boston housewives--all of them college graduates, ranging in age from 23 to 41--are now carolled in the extended course of study for women, a program which began in February, 1962. Together, they have 30 children.

The first group of these housewives expect to receive the M.A. in Teaching (for high school teaching) in June, 1963. Candidates for the Ed.M. degree (for elementary school teaching) will receive degrees at later dates. The city of Newton is co-sponsoring the training of the prospective elementary school teachers.

A few of the women plan to teach full-time as soon as they have received their degrees. Others will start out as part-time teachers--doing tutoring, substituting, contract correcting, or working as members of team-teaching groups. All plan to teach full-time at some future date.

The idea behind part-time teacher training, which is being given a three-year trial at Harvard, is to attract to teaching married women in their 20's who can do part-time teaching for several years; and older married women who can become full-time teachers in a few years.

While part-time students, the women are able to participate in practice teaching and observation. A number of them, whose children attend schools where new curriculum ideas have been started, are more familiar with teaching innovations than recent college graduates.

The nine women studying for the M.A. in Teaching must complete their requirements for the degree within two years. The eight women who are candidates for the Ed.M, may take longer. Ordinarily, a full-time student earns one of these degrees in one year of study.