Interview with Freya Wu, Operations and Development Director of Y2 Montessori Adolescent Community (Y2MAC).
In 2018, Freya (center) participated in TEEC’s first experimental educator training program. The course sparked her imagination, leading to visions of new possibilities for experimental education.
Majoring in business management at National Chengchi University, never taking any courses related to education, and was long employed in the business sector…What kind of sparks would ignite when someone with this background joins Y2 Montessori Adolescent Community (Y2MAC)?
While other children were reading comics and picture books in elementary school, Fan Wu (Freya), Y2MAC’s operations and development director, loved to read books like Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window in her free time. When she was a little older, she developed an affinity for books, such as Li Yaqing’s Growing Pains and A.S. Neill’s Summerhill.
She found herself drawn to such examples for learning outside the traditional education system. Through reading, she learned about different aspects of education, which not only enriched her life but planted the seeds for having concern for education in her heart.
After university graduation, Freya worked in the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries, serving as a professional manager for thirteen years.
Her responsibilities included public relations, corporate communications, employee relations, procurement, production management, and laws and regulations.
Apart from her professional career, she also led an English workshop at Miaoli Nanhe Elementary School through Youth First, an educational platform.
She found that the school’s principal, Shih-Wen Wang, was a tireless promoter of experimental education and whose efforts popularized his rural elementary school and filled it to capacity with eager students.
"Principal Wang showed me that anything is possible if one persists, opening the door to even more educational possibilities," Freya says. The seeds planted long ago in her heart began to sprout as a result of that experience.
Consequently, in 2018, she signed up to participate in the first experimental educator training program held by the Taiwan Experimental Education Center (TEEC), as she envisioned new directions in experimental education.
Public relations expertise helps bridge the gulf between parents and teachers
A phone call in 2021 put Freya on a new career path. Chia-Ling Chang, a TEEC classmate who had received teacher training sponsorship from Y2 Foundation for Future Education (Y2 Foundation), told her,
"A Montessori middle school in Taiwan is preparing to open and is looking for someone to direct its office of planning. The team is eager to do great things for Taiwan. I think you’re the best choice for the position. I thought of you the second I saw the job posting." Chang humorously added, "It'd be great if you could become our Montessori ally!".
Friendly, logical, and articulate, Freya excels at listening and communication. She amusingly recalls that she didn’t meet the job requirements on paper—after all, she didn’t have a master's degree or experience running a school or a Montessori teaching certificate.
"But my classmate was sure I was right for the job, so I went to the interview." Her decision provided the soon-to-open Y2MAC with a steady force forward.
In July 2021, Freya took on tasks in preparation for the school's opening. In these early days of operation, she had lots to attend to: core team recruiting, school admissions, and even basic administrative details such as water, electricity, and gas supply.
From internal requests for funds to external communications, she relied on her expertise from the corporate world to handle matters large and small in an orderly fashion.
Taking advantage of her high EQ, Freya delineated the needs and challenges in establishing an experimental educational institution to Y2 Foundation and introduced parents to the focus and mission of Taiwan’s first Montessori weekday boarding middle school.
At the same time, she also had to discuss laws and regulations with government authorities. Nothing about her job was easy. However, no matter how much challenges she faces, Freya always has a smile on her face.
She shares: "My previous training in the corporate world has been very helpful, whether it be communication skills or the use of precise language. But above all else, the most important thing is having the chance to work with a great group of people who support and understand each other."
Embodying the Montessori spirit at work
For instance, Freya has a strong sense of responsibility, is hands-on in everything she does, and is always mindful about not adding to her colleagues’ workload.
In 2023, one ninth grader needs to be taken to and brought back from another school for a mock exam and also needs a lunch delivery. Little did Freya know that her colleague Amy had taken the initiative and asked other teachers to help.
Some of the students also discussed how to prepare a lunch box and who can help deliver it to the ninth grader. Freya was touched by everyone's kindness and now tries to put into practice the art of going with the flow.
"I was afraid of dropping the ball," she says sheepishly." Later, I realized that working in and with a team not only means getting things done but also helping everyone on the team be well.
So now I’m going to try to hand responsibilities over to others. This also reflects what Montessori education emphasizes and believes in: the interdependence of the community. For Freya, who is accustomed to "not bothering others," it’s been the most important lesson she's learned since joining Y2MAC.
Thanks to Freya's attentive communication, parents have transitioned from voicing many questions to now having trust and assurance. Now, she no longer needs to face streams of questions.
Furthermore, parents of older students will proactively help dispel doubts and anxieties of new Y2MAC parents. Because Freya remains the parents’ stable support, the guides do not need to face questions from parents and can devote themselves to preparing lessons and focusing fully on their students.
"Parents and teachers are like the opposite ends of a bridge; each wants to understand the other's thoughts. I just look for ways to communicate one side's thoughts to the other."
As an effective communicator with a high degree of emotional intelligence and patience, Freya is a rock-solid bridge connecting the two sides.
An operations director can also be a teacher
Montessorians are flexible and capable of filling multiple roles. In February 2023, Freya enrolled in a two-year Montessori international teacher-training program for students ages 12 to 18.
One reason behind attending training is that Y2MAC’s principal, Jan, hopes every adult in the school can gain a deeper understanding of Montessori theory, but Freya set a goal for herself to not come back empty-handed. She is, therefore, keeping her mind open and allowing herself to grow.
In fact, Freya is also thinking about the possibility of doing both administrative work and teaching. After a year of teacher training and participation in classroom teaching, she says with a note of excitement, "I’m beginning to feel the strength one gains from interacting with teenagers! From my training at Hershey Montessori School, I am also seeing a different version of myself."
"If I want to contribute to the field of education, I don’t think there is a job more suitable than the one I have now," says Freya with a bright, confident smile. This will, indeed, be her life’s work.
Written by Yu-Hsiu Su
Images provided by Fan Wu
Translators: Robert Fox Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation, NTNU