About Us

WELCOME

What is Mysa?

When Mysa started in 2016, we noticed the world was rapidly changing, but education was almost frozen in time.

The teacher must teach to the middle- not too high but not too low because kids have varied topical understanding regardless of their grade. Often kids were bored in classrooms with out challenge or because they couldn’t grasp the concept.

Mysa decided to personalize ALL of the work that kids are responsible for – this way students can go fast when something comes easily or your child can take their time on concepts that are challenging. This is the foundation of mastery / competency based learning.

This has been called The Anxious Generation. Kids were feeling unsafe, anxious and disconnected from their peers in large schools, or feeling lost in a huge new setting.

If kids don’t feel safe, they cannot learn. We decided a small, family-like setting with mixed-age classrooms would allow students the freedom to be themselves, be curious and form deep relationships with fellow students and teachers.

Often academic standards are conceptual, so kids were disengaged because subjects didn’t feel relevant. Why divide fractions?

Though quarterly Connect Units, ALL of our teaching and learning is connected to the real-world; 20% of the curriculum is devoted to experiential / place-based learning. Your child sees a learned concept in action like Potomac water testing or visiting the ofrenda at The Mexican Cultural Institute.

Mission Statement

The Mysa schools serve as models for relevant and modern education; we pilot research-informed teaching and learning practices that are transferable to public schools. Mysa students own their educational journey. In small, nurturing communities, students discover their gifts, build on their strengths, and engage as citizens to make meaningful contributions to our world.

DC micro school says its targeted approach helps improve attendance

WASHINGTON, D.C. (7News) — A private, micro school in D.C. has seen attendance improvements thanks to its individualized approach.

Mysa Schoolassigns students to classes based on their skill level, versus their age or grade level. They assess where students stand and create customized learning plans with smaller class sizes.

Welcome, friends, to the Mysa School website.

As an educator and a mother, I see every day how children learn differently, process information differently, and even understand the exact same idea and information in different ways. Most schools, despite their desire to reach the “whole child,” do not address these learning differences. Most schools continue to teach students in ways that are easiest for teachers; in “one size fits all” lessons delivered in the same way to the whole class with the hope that most of the students grasp something. In this day and age, with what we know about how people learn, and the resources we have instantly available, schools need to more flexibly adapt the ways that they teach each child to that particular child’s learning style. I believe that the Mysa model of education, with its personalized learning plans, honors the uniqueness of each student and is a highly effective way of not only teaching, but of lighting a fire of curiosity within each student. When students have ownership of their schooling, when they understand why they are learning the material, and when they have choices in how they learn, they go to school filled with purpose and with joy. The Mysa model not only prepares students for college but it honors the needs of the student in the moment, as adolescents and young adults, acknowledging that they have the rest of their lives to be grown up, but only one childhood.

We want our students to be healthy, happy, productive people, and to lead meaningful lives. In order to do that, students need help learning how to build solid and healthy relationships in person, online, and around the world. Our small size and mixed-age groupings enable deep and meaningful relationships among all members of our community – students, parents, and teachers. In our one-room school house community, everyone is known, everyone is appreciated, everyone is loved. At Mysa School, students are pushed to learn more, dig deeper, and quench their thirst for understanding the world around them. Everyone is enabled to appreciate the gifts within them and to share those gifts with the world.

I encourage you to explore our website, come to an open house, or stop by and just say hello.

Siri Fiske
Head of School

Why Mysa?

Everyone understands and solves problems differently. Having a choice in how one learns a skill or masters a topic helps make the learning deeper.

For students to be motivated and engaged in their learning, the topics and purpose of their work must have genuine meaning and application to their world.

Current research in education and cognitive psychology shows that learning is more effective and long lasting if a person is in a setting that feels safe, calm, and connected to other people.