I was born and raised in Hong Kong. The oldest child in my family, I grew up with my grandparents, parents, two sisters and two brothers, and I spent many hours taking care of my brothers and sisters and helping them with their homework. My grandmother and mother taught me how to cook, knit, and sew. In so many ways, my childhood home represented Maria Montessori’s vision of an ideal classroom. On the weekends, I took music and piano lessons.
Learning and teaching came naturally to me, so I decided to follow my heart and pursue a college degree in Early Childhood Education and become a kindergarten teacher. I learned about Montessori education at Grantham College of Education in Hong Kong, where I graduated with a degree in early childhood education, and then started teaching in Our Lady Kindergarten in Hong Kong from 1980-1995. After I married, I was very excited to start a family of my own. I had my first son Keith and was doubly-blessed the following year with twin boys, Andrew and Daniel. I was so excited that I was now able to raise my own children with the Montessori philosophy.
In 1995, my family and I moved to the United States, and the following year, I started to work as an assistant at MSLF. I was fortunate to work with two wonderful mentors. Through careful observation and working along with them, I saw how the philosophy, materials, and environment are all natural ways to support how children work and learn. I fell in love with my work and enjoyed it so much I could not wait to have my own classroom. With my mentors’ strong encouragement, I started my Primary Training at the Ohio Montessori Training Institute in Cleveland OH, which I completed in 2004.
For the next ten years (1996-2006), I recognized that many children spent long hours in school, and I thought it would be wonderful to create a Montessori After-School Club for the children and their families. I created an environment with music, art, cooking, knitting, sewing and Chinese where the children could continue to work and grow in a Montessori manner after school hours. In 2006, I became the directress of the Primary After-School Club. In the Clubroom, we work as a big family with primary children from four different classrooms; siblings and friends work together in a homelike environment which embodies the Montessori philosophy. I encourage children to choose their own developmental path: to learn at a deeper level, increase their social skills, and have more authentic experiences. In addition to my primary training, I hold a Certificate of Music in Pianoforte Playing and Theory from The Royal School of Music in Hong Kong, which enables me to teach the children the art of music appreciation and movement. The children are now enjoying many songs in English and Chinese.
I have taught Chinese lessons in the Primary classroom since 2008 and in Elementary since 2012. I have created all of my Chinese materials according to the Montessori Method while also using music, songs and videos to help children enrich their learning experiences.
All three of my sons are successfully living and working in Hong Kong, and I have recently been blessed with a grandson, Princeton. In my free time, I enjoy my exercise classes and playing the piano. I love to visit my 98 year old grandmother and most importantly to visit with Princeton on Skype in Hong Kong. I look forward to Princeton attending MSLF in the near future.
— Eva Leung, February 2015
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