Eva's article on Montessori Society AMI (UK) Magazine: From UK to Mexico: A Montessori Journey of Transition
Our family have decided to embrace the "Montessori Globalism" to take a sabbatical in Mexico. We have found a small and loving Montessori school from 3-12 in Oaxaca (wa-ha-ca), Mexico.
It has been an honour to write an article for Montessori Society AMI (UK) Direction Magazine to share about the thinking and plans
You can read the article below (originally published here on AMI UK Direction Magazine, p28,29):
From UK to Mexico: A Montessori Journey of Transition
By Eva Cheng
All adventures start with a tiny seed, and mine was planted more than 20 years ago.
I arrived at Cambridge University from China, at the age of 17, having never set foot in the UK before. It was overwhelming and humbling. I thought I understood English—until I didn’t. Accents, cultural references, and everyday jokes were lost on me. How do you make friends when you don’t understand what people are saying?
There's a saying "fish don't know they are in water until they are out of it". That's how I felt. For the first time I had to ask: What are essential to human connections, apart from language?
Now, over two decades later, that transition is behind me. I had a first career as an investment banker, second life as a Montessori teacher and small business owner. We’ve lived in Hong Kong and London. My three children—ages 10, 8 and 2—attend the Maria Montessori School in London, in Upper Elementary, Lower Elementary, and soon, Children’s House.
I now understand more English than I did then—and more importantly, I’ve found belonging and friendship. But the raw shock of the first transition at Cambridge stayed with me. It taught me to see beyond language, to notice shared humanity, and to feel compassion for those finding their footing. I want my children to have that experience, too.
I want them to arrive somewhere completely new. To be gently stripped of assumptions. I want them to see that the way we eat, speak, dress, and learn in London is not the only way—and that the same fundamental needs can be expressed entirely differently across cultures.
As a Montessori educator, I find that this connects beautifully with the Great Lesson of the Fundamental Needs of Humans. This will be a chance for them to live that lesson first hand, so when we return, they would have more love and compassion, from their new understanding of the world.
Earlier this year, my husband casually said, “Maybe we can do it this year.” I nervously laughed it off. But the seed has sprouted. And the more we thought about it, the more we realised: this was the time. Our eldest is 10. He’s entering that pre-adolescent phase when friends take centre stage. When we told him, he was devastated. He said, “You guys go. I’ll stay here with my friends.” It took him months to process it, but slowly, his curiosity began to outweigh his reluctance. He’s now excited to see a new part of the world and learn Spanish—especially after hearing the new school has lots of pets.
Speaking of school, we debated the format of our travel. Should we travel through multiple countries, stopping every few weeks? Or base ourselves in one place and go deep? Ultimately, we chose depth. We wanted the children (and adults) to build friendships, learn a language, engage with a local culture—not just pass through it. That’s when the idea of joining a Montessori school became a priority.
One of the great advantages of Montessori education is that it doesn’t follow a rigid, time-bound curriculum. The materials and presentations are consistent globally. The new guide can meet the child exactly where they are—no need to “catch up” or repeat months of work. This gave us the confidence to make school part of our journey, not something to be put on hold.
We began researching Montessori schools across Central and South America. The children were already learning Spanish at school, and we hoped to learn it alongside them. A conversation with Michel, the head of Maria Montessori Institute Schools, led us to several school suggestions—most of them in Mexico. That reminded me of something I’d learned during my AMI training: Montessori has grown strong in Mexico.
We contacted schools in Mexico City initially, but one place keeps catching our eyes - Oaxaca. The more we read, the more intrigued we were. A vibrant, historic city rich with culture and colour. And then I found it: Paz Montessori School. A very small, bilingual school offering Children’s House, Lower Elementary, and Upper Elementary—all in one space. Our three children, ages two to ten, could all attend. The classes are intimate—about 15 children in each—and the atmosphere felt warm and grounded. It is based in a hill with a steam at the foot. It sounded idyllic.
As I write this, we are have started the trip preparations. Flights are bought (woohoo!). We have found a friends’ friend whose house we will rent for the first 1.5 months when we arrive. Kitchen table echoes the sound of Spanish phrases from Duolingo. We’re also slowly saying goodbye to friends, neighbours, parks and routines. There’s excitement and nerves in equal measure.
But in Montessori, transition isn’t seen as disruption. It’s a part of the child’s natural rhythm of growth, like the 4 Planes of Development - ending is a natural transition to a new beginning. When one is prepared, a "crisis" becomes an opportunity. We look forward to what the new beginning brings.
About the author:
Eva Cheng
Engineering graduate from Cambridge University
Investment Banker in Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley
AMI Montessori diploma: 0-3 and 3-6
AMI Montessori certificate: 6-12
Founder of Montessori Hut (montessorihut.com)
✨P.s we are going to send out a weekly update email about our trip (our self-imposed, preferred way to journal our trip). Sign up to receive them at TacoTrips.com ✨
=======
To read the full magazine:
