I have been an employee of MMS under Monica Van Aken. Unfortunately, I am very afraid to have my name exposed, because Monica would absolutely start a witchhunt, and I don't want to implicate myself, or any teacher connected to me.
Teachers are absolutely terrified of Monica. They all walk on eggshells constantly, because depending on her mood, your conversation could go from blatantly condescending, to completely aggressive and unprofessional. She often throws tantrums and will swear, yell, threaten people with being firied, storm out, or command staff to get out. People regularly feel the need to ask around about her mood that day before attempting to talk to her. Staff just following others' instructions are often screamed at for small things like using paper, printing things, asking questions, or standing in the office. There are no checks on her behavior, and the other admin enable her.
Staff avoid the office like the plague, and avoid interacting with Monica V.A., Cheryl K., Holly B., and Debbie M. at all costs. They have created a volatile environment based around fear and desperation, because despite the steep costs of Montessori, and CONSTANT demands for donations from parents AND staff (and yes, staff are heavily pressured to donate to the job that underpays them), everyone is overworked and underpaid, with a constant revolving door of employees due to people put in charge, classrooms bursting at the seems with children, and no ramifications for this damaging behavior.
The teacher may not be faultless, and parents are often quick to take their anger out on them, but they are not given the tools, the time, or the option of giving extra help or time to students that need it. They are exhausted, and have too many kids, not enough pay, and no resources to help students with ADD, ADHD, or other disorders, even if they desperately want to. They are berated instead of being offered help. They are forced to prioritize the functionality of the classroom, raising money, and the APPEARANCE of thriving students for investors, for fear of admin wrath.
That school is full of many loving, dedicated, and desperate staff that are terrified to speak out, attempt to seek help, or even leave. They are constantly critizied on their skills, competence, and intelligence. Monica often makes off-hand insulting comments about people's weight, clothing, or financial inadequacy. All they care about is money, appearance, and power; often at the expense of students and staff.
Unfortunately, I do not foresee anyone receiving real consequences. Monica never admits fault and never apologizes. Most likely she will leave, or send out the lawyers. Another reason no one speaks out against her; "she has very good lawyers". While as a teacher I may not agree with every accusation on this site, I do appreciate someone drawing attention to these issues. No one else has for a very long time, and many exhausted staff, unique students, and desperate parents have suffered.
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