Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission

Montessori in Redlands is an environment where children begin a life journey of self-realization, love of learning, and global responsibility.

Vision

Living the Montessori Journey is MIR's strategic vision.

MIR strives to exemplify Dr. Maria Montessori's holistic vision of education from birth to adulthood.

We believe that children possess a natural desire to learn and have the ability to absorb all aspects of their culture and civilization without effort or fatigue.

We also believe that, if given the freedom to explore and make choices, children will be self-motivated to learn. This desire to learn through self-discovery will continue through their lifetime.

Trusting in the child's abilities to develop to their full potential through activities that support physical, intellectual, and emotional growth, the school provides an educational program to support its community of students, families, staff, board, and alumni in understanding and respecting the needs of the child.

Through our core values, the school community, both students and adults, fosters the development of global citizens aimed at creating a peaceful world.

The school provides carefully prepared environments in which the academic, social, and spiritual needs of children are fulfilled. Through purposeful activity, students are encouraged to follow their inner rhythms and thus enhance their capacity for exploration and learning. With this learning experience, children become individuals who are more responsible, caring, and respectful.

We call our community's work to achieve this vision "Living the Montessori Journey."

Values

Core Values

The school has three core values through which we Live the Montessori Journey. These values are

the Whole Child
the Prepared Environment
the Community

Whole Child

Montessori in Redlands prioritizes the development of the whole child -- body, spirit, and mind. The whole child focus allows us to follow the child throughout the developmental continuum from infancy through emerging adulthood.

We foster habits that will promote healthy nutrition and physical activity to maximize the development of the growing body.

We promote the development of a strong sense of self and personal responsibility toward oneself, others, and the environment for success as an adult citizen of the global community.

Our students will be independent, responsible, self-motivated learners with the following intellectual abilities:

Students will have the ability to use their senses to understand their abstract and concrete experiences in the world around them.
Students will be competent in expressing themselves in written and spoken language and competent in their understanding of the written and spoken words of others.
Students will be skillful in abstraction and reasoning and will possess the ability to use deductive and inductive reasoning to solve symbolic and practical mathematical problems.
Students will have a conscious awareness and understanding of the natural world and its order. Students will have the ability to recognize and use the basic methods of scientific inquiry.
Students will build a foundation for the appreciation of the humanities and the arts. They will have a sense of historical perspective, an understanding of one's place in the world, and gratitude for the accomplishments of those who came before us.

Prepared Environment

Montessori in Redlands carefully constructs a learning environment that supports the growth of the whole child. Our prepared environments consist of the outdoor and indoor physical spaces as well as the pedagogical structure, which includes the development of the adult and the implementation of Montessori principles.

The indoor and outdoor spaces on our campus will be functional, beautiful, and sustainable aspects of the learning environment. The school will maintain the highest possible standards of authentic Montessori practice by encouraging and supporting an educational continuum of life-long learning opportunities for students and staff.

Community

Montessori in Redlands works to create strong home, school, local, and global communities through education and participation. Parents and teachers work together so that children develop themselves as global citizens. From the first point of contact throughout their child's educational journey, parents at the school will be nurtured in their understanding of the Montessori Journey, their participation in their child's education and healthy development, and their contribution to the sustainability of the school.

The board, administration, staff, and students will be connected in their work to create a safe, rich environment in which to grow physically, intellectually, and spiritually.

Montessori in Redlands will be exemplary in its outreach to the community, fostering collaborative relationships with other institutions dedicated to the healthy development of the child and peaceful relations among all peoples.