Alissa Westrick
Teaching Experience
Educational Background
Personal Reflections
My vision for this school year aligns with VMS’s overall ‘season of restoration’ and peaceful
family-community model feel, where every member (children, youth, & adults) are respected
for their uniqueness, interests, purpose, and giftings creating the pieces that form the puzzle of
life. Each piece is no more valuable than the other, but essential to the functioning of the whole
puzzle to be complete.
This school year invites us all to put back in place, in a stronger way, our peaceful culture of
community, stewardship, collaboration, relationships, partnerships, authenticity, love for
learning, and caring for our world, each other and ourselves. We embrace a Montessori
Lifestyle! Montessori is truthful living. It is a way of commitment and investment in life as a
whole!
In our indoor and outdoor environments, the vision is to prepare a safe and wonder-filled
space, one that is non-judgmental and non-competitive. A children’s home helping children
learn how to learn, fostering a life-long love of learning. A place where you can make mistakes
and learn from them, practicing and refining oneself so as to unfold into the adult he/she is
meant to be, without fear. Children are loved for who they are and their special membership to
our community. It’s a space that encourages one another- the motto is “We are not here to one
up each other, rather to help each other up”. Peace within, Peace between, Peace among. Our
prepared environments aid in the removal of any obstacles that may be in the way of a child’s
true and normalized self. There is a magical process that takes root within the child where
instead of the child forming him or herself by external forces (rewards, corrections, etc…) they
start trusting themselves within, in who they are, their purpose & giftings…it’s the formation
from internal forces also known as intrinsic motivation.
We will foster and support an environment centering on a growth mindset which is the belief
that your brain can grow and learn many new things encouraging a passion for learning and an
ease in facing new challenges….versus a fixed mindset which is the belief that you cannot learn
new things or new ways.
The children are the it of everything! And you mean everything to them! We hold that sacred,
caring for it close to our hearts, cultivating a place of peace, joy, community, and light!