Mission and Guiding Principles

Our Mission

~ Cultivating each child’s unique ability to flourish in mind, body, and spirit ~

Our mission is to nurture the whole child and to inspire an enduring love of learning that prepares children to live joyful lives as responsible, compassionate citizens, therefore contributing to a peaceful and benevolent society.

Guiding Principles

The Montessori School of McLean offers an accredited Montessori primary and elementary educational program. In carrying out our mission, MSM’s concern is for the whole child’s cognitive, physical, social-emotional, spiritual, and psychological development.

To that end, we:

  • Embrace Maria Montessori’s philosophy and pedagogy, in which it is understood that all children are born with the inherent ability to achieve their full potential. As such, children are active participants in their learning, and the teacher is the dynamic link in this process.
  • Provide a strong, integrated academic and enrichment program.
  • Create a warm, welcoming, and peaceful learning environment where all children are respected and loved as unique individuals.
  • Prepare a multi-age, child-focused, interactive learning environment that offers meaningful, productive, and gratifying work; allows children to learn using all aspects of their being and to freely choose their work; encourages exploration and reflection; and offers opportunities for both individual and cooperative work.
  • Cultivate each child’s ability to respect themselves, others, and the environment, and to become peaceful, compassionate citizens and responsible stewards of the planet.
  • Meet each child where they are: recognize his or her individual strengths, needs, and interests; tailor lessons accordingly and provide guidance so that each child can experience success and acquire skills without competition.
  • Cultivate a joyful, enduring love of learning, while fostering independence, responsibility, and self-discipline.
  • Encourage and model the values we expect from all individuals, including respectfulness, honesty, integrity, good manners and peacefulness.
  • Promote community and cultural awareness in our classroom environments, and celebrate the diversity of our students and staff.
  • Foster community in our school by welcoming families as partners who are dedicated to the Montessori philosophy and by creating opportunities for them to actively participate in the successful education of our children.
  • Attract, support, and retain teachers, staff, and families dedicated to fulfilling our mission for the benefit of the whole child.
  • Commit to continually improving, enhancing and refining all aspects of our educational programs and school management in order to responsibly serve the needs of the child.