Pride & Glory Montessori Wonderschool

Our Teachers

Suzanne Mullen, Director & Head Teacher

Suzanne Mullen is an experienced and passionate Montessori educator. After 40 years as Head Teacher at a Montessori school in Orange County, she is pursuing her dream of opening up her own school. Suzanne began her career as a Montessori educator in 1978, when she enrolled in the Association Montessori International training in Santa Monica, California. After graduating, she worked at a school in the South Bay for 16 years. During this time, she took administration classes at UCLA. She later relocated to Orange County, where she has worked for the last 20 years teaching children ages 3-6. She helped open and build the enrollment for a new Montessori school in Orange County, where she served as director for two years. She has had the privilege of mentoring many Montessori teachers over the years, and it has given her such pleasure to see those teachers be successful under her wing. She has one 32 year-old son. Suzanne became a Grandma in April 2024 to a beautiful little baby girl.

School Pets

We have one pet cat here at Pride & Glory Montessori.

Testimonials

“Sue Mullen taught our daughters and in the two years that they were with her, they grew leaps and bounds ( academically, as well as their mannerisms). The Montessori Method does wonders  as it goes at the pace of the child, non of that “one box fits all” method.  Sue has over 35+ years of experience and it show’s in how she works with all the materials in the class room as well as how she interacts with the children. She’s famous for telling stories that still resonate with my kids till this day! ( funny) She’s great at communicating with parents, and is absolutely honest  ( which i love…). RUN, and get your kids the best education they deserve! She is wonderful!” – Eyeluta H.

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“This school is top notch! Suzanne is a caring, warm teacher who makes sure her students are getting quality Montessori instruction balanced with a good amount of free play. The hours are very convenient for working parents. I highly recommend!” – Stephanie C.

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“I consider Mrs. Mullen as one of my best friend.   You are the best kind of teacher.  You understood my daughter very well, you knew she was rushing to finish her work and play, your question to her was always sweet.  ”Blen do you have to go some where right after this class?  Please take your time to finish your work, I know you are very smart kiddo, just take your time.”  You teach her so many stuffs, I had teary eyes when I saw her tying her shoelace for the first time because you taught her how to do it.  You respond immediately to an email about every little or big issue.  Even after my daughter graduated from kindergarten, I was always there in Mrs. Mullen’s class either to say hello or talk about weekend family plans.  My daughter received her first two years education from  the most wonderful, caring, loving, smart and beautiful teacher.  We felt from the beginning that we do not have to worry about our child’s education.  Mrs. Mullen’s teaching method was phenomenon.  You are a dedicated teacher.  Kindergarten is hard, the kids need a lot of help and the parents need a lot of handholding too.   I personally would like to say KUDOS for your hard work, we do not have enough to say about you Mrs. Mullen, you are an Angel sent from GOD.” – Selam G.

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“Mrs. Mullen is a simply amazing teacher with many years of experience in the Montessori method and we were fortunate to have her teaching both our children. My son blossomed into a confident child under her guidance. After Montessori when he moved to public school, academically he was far ahead of the children in his age group. Mrs. Mullen then taught my daughter and we were so happy to see the positive influence she had on my daughter’s academic and social skills. Mrs. Mullen holds a special place not only in our children’s hearts but ours. Both my wife and I are college educators and firmly believe that preschool and kindergarten are critical years in a child’s development. We are so happy we had Mrs. Mullen to teach our children during this important phase in their lives.” – Sunil T.

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“My daughter is 4 years old and has been attending Pride and Glory since the beginning of the school year. It has been one of the best decisions we have made sending her there. She was attending another Montessori prior to Pride and Glory with the traditional class size of 24 students. But I can’t express enough how much she has advanced academically with the much smaller class size and one on one lessons. I’m amazed when I see all her work each day. For the teacher to be able to invest such quality time to each child during those crucial academic hours is absolutely priceless! But that’s not all, (in my opinion) being at a smaller school reduces chances of catching viruses and getting sick, also environment is always kept very clean, they do fun actives, eat lunch in a fun but calm setting, small holiday recital, and more!! With over 35 years of teaching experience, Mrs Mullen is an amazing teacher who knows and understands children very well. Her love for children and teaching is clearly transparent through my daughter as she looks forward to school every morning! Sophia loves being a student at Pride and Glory, but of course she LOVES Mrs. Mullen more!!! Thank you for opening such a wonderfully small yet enriching school!!! I highly recommend Pride and Glory Montessori.” - Judy H.

“This is my 2nd child that has come to Mrs. Mullen’s school and I’ve had nothing but great experiences with her. My son loves it here.” - Debra W ​

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Philosophy

Our program follows the Montessori philosophy, as well as the “Whole Child” approach. We have seen firsthand how Montessori helps children develop academically, socially, physically, and emotionally at their own pace and at their own level.

A small teacher-to-child ratio (1:6) allows for individualized lessons, personal attention, and careful observation of your child on a daily basis. We are inspired by Dr. Maria Montessori’s original “Children’s House,” and our loving, home atmosphere is what makes us so unique. We pay close attention to each child’s particular interests and focus activities and lessons around that. We believe in working hard, but it’s important for children to have fun while learning! Our program consists of both.

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Location

Pride & Glory Montessori Wonderschool is located in a large, single-family home in the city of East Whittier. Children will have the opportunity to learn and play both indoors and outdoors. The interior learning space is bright and sunny, and the backyard is spacious with beautiful green grass for the children to run, play, and have fun. The neighborhood is quiet and family friendly, and our home is within walking distance of an elementary school.

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About our program

Pride & Glory Montessori follows the Montessori curriculum, which is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning, and group play. Our activities include a focus on practical life, sensorial, math, language, and cultural studies.​ Our school values and maintains small teacher-to-child ratio (1:6), which allows for more individualized lessons and personal attention.

Our Approach to Discipline

During my 40 years as a teacher, I have always been known as the firm yet loving teacher. My discipline philosophy is to redirect the child so they can focus on something else.

Outdoor Learning

I believe that outdoor play is extremely important for children to build their motor coordination and social skills. We have a private backyard with beautiful green grass where the children can run and play. They are surrounded by nature, including bird song and fluttering butterflies.

We have an outdoor kitchen set with pretend food to stimulate children’s imaginations. We encourage creativity in the outdoors, such as painting on an easel. We also have a garden, where we learn about watering and caring for plants and flowers. We have fruit trees from which children pick, wash, and prepare their own fresh snacks. The children love eating outside, so when the weather permits, we eat lunch outside.

During the summer months, we play with water one day of the week.

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Admissions

Join the Pride & Glory community in four easy steps:

1. Explore our website

We’ve provided information about our philosophies and offerings to help you decide if our program may be right for your family.

2. Tour the school

Come see what makes Pride & Glory unique. Please schedule a tour by filling out the “Schedule Tour” form.

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application. Please note that we require tours for all prospective families. Do not submit an application if you have not toured.

4. Enroll

After reviewing your application, we’ll send an enrollment invitation. Upon accepting your invitation, there is a $250 non refundable enrollment fee fill out enrollment documents and review our Parent Handbook.

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