Head of School: Mrs. Shireen McNabb

"It is necessary for the teacher to guide the child without letting him feel her presence too much, so that she may always be ready to supply the desired help, but may never be the obstacle between the child and his experience." 

- M. Montessori

Mrs. Shireen is extremely excited to live her life-long dream of founding and fostering a Montessori school in a supportive community that values innovative education, family, and most of all, children. Her journey over the last 20 years has been both broad and deep, spanning three continents and children from birth to 12 years of age.

Shireen discovered her true passion early in her career while being trained and mentored by one of Dr. Maria Montessori's original protégés, Ms. Joyce Gunasekera. After obtaining her certification to teach 3-6 year old children from the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), she spent several years as a head teacher in one of Ms. Gunasekera's primary classrooms. She then continued her studies in Child Care at Ware College in Hertsfordshire, England.

From there, Mrs. Shireen's journey took her to her permanent home here in New England, where she has lived and taught since 1990. She continued to grow and broaden her perspective after she settled – earning two additional AMI certifications to teach children ages 6-9 and 9-12 while serving as a lead teacher for 3-6, 6-9 and 9-12 year-old Montessori programs. During her "vacation time", she chose to work with infants and toddlers in order to gain a rounded perspective of the whole child that few school leaders truly have.

Shireen moved to Vermont in order to found a Montessori school where families shared her values of community and being active participants in the development of their children. She discovered the Burlington, VT area through frequent visits with her husband, Brian, who's company is headquartered here. She knew she had found the place to see out her vision and founded the Green Mountain Montessori School in 2001.

As the school has grown from six to forty students, her passion has enabled her to serve not only as the Head of School, but also as a classroom teacher - enabling her to constantly be reminded of what it means to serve the children and community.