Interview with Fang-Jou Chang, Guide of Y2 Montessori Adolescent Community (Y2MAC).
In the course of growing up, we all encounter one or two teachers who impact us profoundly. For Y2 Montessori Adolescent Community’s (Y2MAC) guide, Fang-Jou Chang, being raised by parents who are teachers became his inspiration.
Today, he is walking the path of his father and mother.
As a youngster, Fang-Jou’s father attended Hua-Hsing Middle School, where the baseball team was a powerhouse at the time, taking second place in the Little League World Series.
Like father, like son, Fang-Jou has always been athletic. He excelled in physical education classes throughout childhood, setting a track-and-field record of 12.2 seconds in the 100-meter dash and winning Taiwan’s national middle school championship in 2007.
Awakening to education after a shattered track dream
In high school, Fang-Jou set his sights on the national track-and-field sprinting team.
However, his dream of qualifying for the national team did not come true. Vying with other strong contenders on the track, the pressure to win left him physically and emotionally stressed, causing his muscles to freeze up.
At that moment, Fang-Jou realized his days of competition had come to an end.
Looking back at his 16-year-old self, Fang-Rou says, "There were no psychotherapists then. Before I'd even set foot on the field, I broke down in tears."
What broke him was not only the uncontrollable tears but also the sense of helplessness about the future and the uncertain road ahead. On the strength of his past achievements in sports, Fang-Jou was admitted to the National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, except he chose an entirely different area of study—international business.
In that department, he met Ke-Hao Chen, an instructor who had a major impact on his life. Ke-Hao Chen told Fang-Jou that he too, felt his future was murky as a youth and that he’d also experienced disappointment in sports but gradually regained confidence in himself.
Thanks to Chen’s companionship and encouragement and the example of his father, who turned his baseball dream into an educational career, Fang-Jou slowly regained his confidence and began to consider life’s other possibilities.
"It so happened that one of the Y2MAC adolescents fell into depression over the passing of a beloved teacher. This is a difficult life lesson. I shared my experience with my students during our advisory time."
By sharing his own story after becoming the physical education teacher at Y2MAC, the depressed adolescent saw a glimmer of hope. This way of education aligns closely with Fang-Jou’s aspirations.
More than physical education
Fang-Jou and his father at the 2007 National Middle School Games.
Fang-Jou’s mother and father both love sports and children and believe that education should not consist only of book-learning in the classroom. Back in their days, they were the first to ask students to take off their shoes and wear socks when entering the classroom.
While students in other classes stayed after school to busily working on their assignments, Mr. and Mrs. Chang dismissed their classes promptly at four o'clock, giving their students time to play and exercise.
From an early age, Fang-Jou absorbed his parents’ modeling. Rather than sticking to traditional conventions for teaching, they focused on the children: "As teachers, my parents thought outside the box; they were more innovative," Fang-Jou smiles as he recalled.
After graduating university, Fang-Jou was accepted into National Cheng Kung University’s Institute of Sports, Health & Leisure Studies and learned "how to be a coach." He passed lifeguard certification, taught swimming at the YMCA and in-line skating. But there was always an inner voice whispering, "I don’t want to be limited to teaching just one skill or sport."
He says of himself, "I’ve always dreamed of becoming a teacher. It can be physical education or something besides it. There are no limits—I am keeping an open mind."
By chance, he met Dr. IC Chan of Taiwan Global Angels in 2017. Chan wanted to start an experimental project for parent-child education. Fang-Jou’s eyes lit up and began to consider the various possibilities inherent in physical training. Diverse landscapes of experimental education slowly unfolded before his eyes!
In October 2021, in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic, Fang-Jou took part in the "Introductory Workshop on Adolescence" sponsored by the National Chengchi University Taiwan Montessori Education Center (TMEC).
There, he learned that Y2 Foundation's Montessori middle school was looking for a physical education instructor to teach creative or physical expression. As a specialist in sports, FangJou was at last able to realize a different kind of educational dream.
When faced with teenagers who attach too much importance to winning or losing, Fang-Jou would talk to them about sportsmanship. He found that adolescents were gaining strength and adapting to a new sense of space.
When their movements were uncoordinated, he discussed changing rules of the game with his students and to play volleyball on a tennis court—adapting and innovating much in the same way as his parents who had changed the rules by going shoeless in the classroom.
At Y2MAC, physical education classes are about more than just physical education. One week’s theme might be the universe, while the following week’s topic could be photosynthesis.
Teachers have to think about how to incorporate content from various professional fields and academic disciplines. "I really enjoy this way of teaching," Fang-Jou says happily.
He also likes to teach by telling stories. Once, he asked his students why the Athens Marathon was not called the Athens Race. The students' enthusiastic responses and positive feedback to his inquiry gave him a sense of accomplishment.
From a part-time PE instructor to full-time guide—accompanying students as they grow
Not satisfied with spending just three short hours per week with the students, Fang-Jou took part in formal AMI Montessori training for teaching ages 12-18 in Perth in 2023 and observed schools in Tokyo in October of that year. Since returning to Taiwan, he has placed greater emphasis on writing and reflection.
"After class, I would ask students to write about or share their thoughts on the day’s learning, presenting opportunities for more in-depth discussions."
In August 2023, he officially became a full-time teacher at Y2MAC because, "I hope to spend more time with the adolescents, to form closer relationships, to share more stories, and to be there for them as they grow up."
Since becoming a full-time teacher, Fang-Jou has broadened his scope of learning, soaking up Montessori concepts, philosophy, and teaching methods like a sponge. Recently, he's begun studying bees and human development amongst other topics.
"I feel like I’m growing right alongside the adolescents," he explains. Fang-Jou also encourages other teachers interested in interdisciplinary learning: "Don't limit yourself. Whether you’re an athlete or a musician, don't be afraid to accept challenges. You’ll definitely grow in the process."
Written by Yu-Hsiu Su
Images provided by Fang-Jou Chang
Translators: Robert Fox Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation, NTNU