My name is Mary Ling and I am a mother of our two beautiful daughters. I am also a trained Montessori guide, certified by Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). I took two Montessori teacher trainings: Assistants to Infancy, which focuses on children from the pregnancy stage through the age of 3, and Primary or Early Childhood, which focuses on children from 3 to 6 years old. I have a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Master of Education in Montessori Education. I completed my Doula training through DONA.
Being born to Taiwanese parents, who was brought up in Japan and then in Canada, I am perfectly fluent in Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin) and English. Our two daughters are also being raised in trilingual environment. And because of my upbringing, I have always been interested in language acquisition in small children, which led me to discover the world of Montessori Education.
As a Montessori teacher, or a Montessori “guide” as we would like to call ourselves, I have helped and supported a lot of families with small children. I especially enjoyed working with families with infants and toddlers, because I felt like I could make a greater impact on how the parents see their children and how they want to raise them.
After supporting the families as a classroom teacher, I now feel that I would like to focus on fewer families at a time, so I could deepen the relationship with each family I serve.
The name “A2I Doulas” holds two meanings. The first one, as mentioned above, is short for “Assistants to Infancy”, to show my respect and background in Montessori philosophy. The second one is short for “Ann Arbor International Doulas”, which represents the international and multicultural identity I find in myself.
We have all heard that it takes a village to raise a child, but in the current fast-paced society, we are losing that village we all depended upon. A Montessori guide “guides” the children throughout the classroom to encourage the learning. The learning happens when the children find something that interests them. The role of a Montessori guide is to connect the children with the environment. As a Postpartum Doula, I would like to be the “guide”, who takes you to the village that we once had. I am here to identify your village and give you the resources to help build your confidence in your new role as a mother.
As Dr. Maria Montessori said: “The greatest sign of success for a teacher… is to be able to say, ‘The children are now working as if I did not exist.'” In my role as a Postpartum doula, I will walk alongside you through your journey, until you feel confident to be on your own.
Assistants to Infancy Doulas 