Interview with Jia-Jie Liu, Course Instructor of Montessori Elementary School Tuition-Free Teacher Training Program.
Jia-Jie hopes that all children can affirm themselves through real-life experiences and actions, because "the purpose of education is to allow children to truly become themselves, to love the world passionately, and to creatively explore life’s infinite possibilities.”
Along the 50-kilometer stretch of Hualien County from Yanliao to Jiqi, only seagulls meet the eye. There is no sound of school children reciting their textbooks.
"There are too few experimental educational resources in Hualien and Taitung. Abandoned schools mean abandoned villages, and abandoned villages signify cultural loss," sighed course instructor Jia-Jie Liu in 2017.
Jia-Jie has devoted herself to education before moving to Hualien. After ecoming a mother in 2009, like most parents, she raised her child according to traditional ways of parenting.
When the Three Types of Experimental Education Methods Act passed, she became increasingly intrigued by the idea of homeschooling her child and began exploring the diverse landscape of experimental education.
"Montessori kindergartens seems to be really fun. There are lots of teaching aids, and the kids are very orderly, as if they’re playing house." She smiles as she recalls her first serendipitous encounter with Montessori.
From mother to teacher
Montessori was Jia-Jie’s first choice for her child’s education. She found Harmony Montessori Education Institution and had a stimulating From mother to teacher conversation with course instructor Jalen Hsiao during the school interview, and after exchanging views on education, Jalen exclaimed, "You’re just right for us!"
Jia-Jie was instantly transformed from an interested parent into a prospective teacher and went on to assist in organizing Harmony’s middle school program.
After three years of teaching and interacting with students in the classroom, Jia-Jie was inspired to move to the next level and to seek professional Montessori teacher training.
With Y2 Foundation’s sponsorship, Jia-Jie enrolled in the elementary teacher training program at the Montessori Institute at Milwaukee in 2017. She believes "it’s only through personal experience that we can truly understand Montessori education."
After obtaining certification, however, she felt "happy on one hand but worried on the other." She was happy that she finally completed the training as she’d wished but concerned that she’d now have to implement her learning in the real world.
Her mixed emotions soon dissipated. After returning to Taiwan in 2019, course instructor Huei-Chun Chen invited Jia-Jie to help establish the Green Shepherd Montessori Experimental Education Group and to serve as its lead teacher.
Unfortunately, Jia-Jie's allergies and asthma symptoms were worsening, and she could no longer engage in classroom teaching during the poor-air-quality winter season in Taichung.
After Jia-Jie discussing the situation with her spouse, she decided to spend the second half of her life east of Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range and to move to Hualien. The move was a work-in-progress, for she kept her job west of the mountains, teaching Monday through Thursday in Taichung.
After finishing her last class at 10 p.m. on Thursday, she would return to Hualien, then rise at 4 a.m. on Monday and drive back to Taichung. This continued for three years.
When asked why she had been willing to make that exhausting commute, Jia-Jie replied, "I did it for my students." She considered both Green Shepherd’s students’ need for a stable learning environment and the new teachers’ need for a transition period to hone their instruction to effectively guide students. Although the long drives were tiring, they were well worth it for the sake of her students.
Let's go out!
"I want to implement marine education in line with Montessori principles. This is one way to localize Montessori education in Taiwan," Jia-Jie says confidently
After returning to Taiwan and with her doubts about Montessori education swept aside, Jia-Jie looked forward to the many possibilities awaiting her, especially switching the "subject-object" in the teacher-student relationship to give students greater autonomy.
In addition, she eagerly wanted to try out Montessori’s "going out" activities in society. Jia-Jie divided "going out" activities into four levels.
The first level is geared toward younger children, combining students’ abilities with their day-to-day lives; for example, purchasing food ingredients and classroom supplies.
At the second level, students are assigned themes, such as discussing the evolution of life; the students went to natural science museums, where they’re allowed to explore subthemes in line with their own interests.
The third level involves group topics; for example, after visiting Keelung’s National Museum of Marine Science and Technology, students who became curious about ships were encouraged to call the Yi-Keng Shipyard in Kaohsiung’s Cijin district and then go there to learn more.
At the fourth level, the focus is on teamwork—group outings are key. Integrating the concepts, experiences, and skills acquired at the first three levels, students plan activities, such as cycling trips on outlying islands, arranging for supply stations and accommodations, setting budgets, and hoosing locations to visit all by themselves.
The students also serve as leaders who collaborate and assign work duties. By working through the four levels, children gain a great sense of achievement, becoming more independent and mature in the process. This is the model Jia-Jie wants to implement: "The greater the freedom, the better the learning."
A Montessori school by the sea
Jia-Jie has become a "going out" enthusiast. Not only did she go out and relocate herself to Hualien but she also joined forces with the Jonathan Su Foundation to create the Jonathan Su Montessori Ocean Experimental Education Group in 2022.
With a population of roughly 320,000, Hualien was barren in terms of experimental education options. It was even more difficult for parents to discuss the concept of self-learning.
At the invitation of Professor Jonathan Su, the foundation’s founder, Jia-Jie enthusiastically responded, "Oh, OK!"
"Oh, OK!" was the beginning of a both magical and challenging journey. Buffeted by sea breezes, traditional Montessori teaching aids of copper bead chains and metal insets are no match for salt and rusted.
Jia-Jie had to improvise and use wood to make new teaching aids, because in Hualien, teaching aids sustain greater wear and tear. Furthermore, conventional Montessori teaching aids are hard to come by.
Alternatives supporting students’ learning and interests must be discovered or need to be hand-made. Although resources are in short supply, Jia-Jie is happy to have the opportunity to create a Montessori classroom by the seaside.
"I want to implement marine education in line with Montessori principles. This is one way to localize Montessori education in Taiwan. Taiwan is an island surrounded by ocean. With a 1,500-kilometer-long coastline against a mountain backdrop, it can easily be taken for an isolated island with no connection to the outside world. But we’re a maritime nation, and the ocean is our pathway to exploring the world. This is very much aligned with and supports Montessori’s concept of the human tendency for exploration.
Oceanic study encompasses a wide range of topics, including ecological resources and conservation and development to name a few, and with the most basic being to understand the ocean through natural science and physics. Boats and oars are my teaching aids; they can give students practical, hands-on experience, allowing them to develop a harmonious, interactive relationship with the marine world."
Following Montessori principles and of mixed-age learning, Jia-Jie has taken the Montessori concept of Erkinder (children of the land) and transformed it into one for children of the sea, turning the ocean into her classroom for ages 6 to 12 students.
Hualien is no longer deprived of experimental education. Jia-Jie hopes that all children can affirm themselves through real-life experiences and actions, because "the purpose of education is to allow children to truly become themselves, to love the world passionately, and to creatively explore life’s infinite possibilities."
Jia-Jie says she will continue to pursue group homeschooling and to adopt a more flexible approach, putting into practice a type of seaside Montessori education that differs from those in urban settings."
Written by Yu-Hsiu Su
Images provided by Jia-Jie Liu
Translators: Robert Fox Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation, NTNU