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Marjie Carroll, Head of School

Message from the Head of School

Welcome to the MCS website -

 

I hope you enjoy browsing through our site and easily find what you are looking for.  My staff and I look forward to meeting you in person sometime in the future.

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I am so pleased that you are considering a Montessori education for your child.  Many years ago, I began my career as a teacher in a public Montessori classroom in Minnesota and I am excited to be at a school that is faithful to the ideals and principles of this child-centered and elegant approach to education.  I continue to be inspired by the Montessori model that brings together the teacher, child, and environment in a learning triangle.  

 

Then and now, my mission is to foster an educational community that bridges the learning between school, home, the community at large, and the natural environment, and that recognizes each as important parts of a whole. Cultivating and promoting those links is vital in a place of student learning and well-being.

Having said that, defining just what makes a good school these days isn’t exactly an easy task. One has to ask oneself, is the Montessori approach, designed over a hundred years ago, in a time and place very different from our own, still relevant?  I recently read an article in the Honolulu Magazine - Private School Guide that challenged its readers to consider what factors contribute to making an excellent school.  Naturally, everyone will answer that they want what is best for children, learning the 4C’s for preparation in a 21st century global world - creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration, and developing persons of character and caring who will know how to take care of themselves, others, and our stunning and fragile Earth.  But, in a world where Google allows even the youngest of children immediate access to gigabytes of information, where masses of educational software and other resources compete for our attention, where teachers are no longer considered, as the saying goes, the “sage on the stage” but rather the “guide on the side”, what’s a school to do?  It’s a complicated question but one that should be asked regularly to ensure that the opportunities for learning that schools provide are useful and meaningful to our children.  Together with you, I hope that we ask the right questions and find the answers to fulfill our shared goal of providing great learning opportunities for the children at MCS.

 

Again, welcome and Aloha -

Marjie

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