Summer in Taiwan
From Brooklyn to Taipei
At Ms. Lam Montessori, Mandarin immersion is more than a subject. It is a way for children to feel connected to another culture, and at ease in more than one place.
Every other summer, Elementary students may join our Taiwan Elementary Exchange Program and spend a week as part of the community at our sister school, Taipei Montessori International School (TMIS) in Taipei. They attend school for the day: a Montessori work cycle, physical education, shared meals, and afternoon activities, all in a living Mandarin environment.
One Montessori family, two continents
This exchange exists because our roots are not only in Brooklyn.
Ms. Lam’s story began in Taiwan more than forty years ago. Today our extended community includes schools in Taiwan and New York. A child can leave Brooklyn and walk into a Montessori classroom that already feels like home: familiar materials, a familiar rhythm, the same respect for the child.
The language, food, streets, and faces may be new. That is where the adventure begins.
Belonging, not only visiting
There is a difference between touring a country and taking part in ordinary school life there.
Our children are not only guests with a camera. They enter a classroom, meet teachers and peers, work, play, eat, and find their way through the day. Mandarin stops being something practiced only in Brooklyn. It becomes the language of friendship, instructions, signs, jokes, and lunch.
Many children come home with a quiet new certainty: I can do this. That kind of confidence travels with them long after the suitcase is unpacked.
When Mandarin becomes real
For a child in immersion, few experiences match discovering that Mandarin can take you somewhere.
A conversation with another child matters. Understanding a teacher matters. Reading a sign matters. Ordering something delicious definitely matters.
For some families, Taiwan is heritage. For others, it is a first deep step into a Mandarin-speaking world. We hope every child returns with a stronger tie to the language and culture they have been studying, and more ease moving between worlds.
Make it a family summer
Families arrange their own flights and lodging, so the school week can sit inside a larger family trip.
Younger siblings may join Montessori summer programs at our Primary campuses in Taipei. Elementary children may extend their stay with additional summer programming at TMIS when offered.
One week of exchange can become a family summer in Taiwan, with Montessori as your home base.
Raising children who can cross a threshold
Independence is not only buttoning a coat without help. It is walking into something unfamiliar and thinking: I can figure this out. I can ask. I can make a friend. I can belong here, too.
We want our children to speak another language, and also to carry curiosity, humility, and the confidence to build relationships wherever life takes them.
Brooklyn is where the school day begins. We want the wider world to feel open to them.
Program at a glance
Who: Ms. Lam Montessori Elementary students
Where: Taipei Montessori International School (TMIS), Taipei, Taiwan
When: One special week each summer (exact dates announced yearly)
What the week includes: Five full school days with Montessori work, PE, lunch, special activities, and daily life in a Mandarin-speaking community PLUS optional weekend trip
Travel: Families arrange airfare and accommodations
Siblings / extension: Primary summer options in Taipei and additional TMIS summer programming may be available; details shared each year
Tuition, registration, and availability: Announced each spring for the coming summer
Next step
If you are an Elementary family and would like to be on the interest list for the next exchange, or if you are exploring Elementary and want to know how this fits the path from Primary, please write to us.
Email:admissions@mslammontessori.com
Stephanie: 646-245-2793
Learn about Elementary in Brooklyn →
Our campuses, including Taiwan →