Moments of Belonging: Baking Bread, Building a Community
Moments of Belonging: Baking Bread, Building a Community
This story is part of Childpeace Montessori School’s 50th Anniversary Stories of Belonging Project. Throughout this year, we are highlighting moments that demonstrate what it means for Childpeace students, parents, faculty, and alums to belong to themselves, to others, and to their community. Each memory shared helps us honor five decades of Montessori education in Portland.
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When Jenny Nieh and her family joined the Childpeace community, the world was behind a mask. It was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time defined by uncertainty and distance. For Jenny and her husband, David Huang, parents new to Portland without extended family nearby, the stakes of choosing a school felt uniquely high.
"For nearly the entire first year, we didn’t even see our guides’ faces," Jenny recalls. "Yet, there was no question that they knew what they were doing. We felt an incredible sense of trust and reassurance immediately."
That trust was anchored in the "rhythms" of the Montessori classroom. While the outside world was shifting daily, Childpeace offered Linden — a naturally cautious child who likes to observe before joining in — a sense of certainty.
The Bread Phase
As Linden settled into the Toddler program, she entered what the family now affectionately calls "The Bread Phase." For two months, Linden chose to bake bread at school almost every single day.
"At first, we felt a little guilty," Jenny laughs. "We wondered if it was taking up too much time in the classroom. But then we understood: this wasn't just 'making a snack.' It was purposeful work. It was a big activity that was part of everyday life. It set her up for success."
The bread became a symbol of Linden’s burgeoning independence. In the prepared environment of the Childpeace classroom, a two-year-old was discovering that she had the agency to complete a complex task from start to finish. Jenny and David realized their daughter wasn't just baking; she was practicing her independence.
Finding a Village
For Jenny’s family, Childpeace became "the center of our world." Without a local support system, the guides' compassion and generosity provided a safety net that allowed the whole family to put down roots in Portland.
"We’ve never really placed roots anywhere before," Jenny says. "To have a child here and to have Childpeace at the center ... it changed our day-to-day lives. It teaches you community in a real way, from the little things to the big things."
That sense of belonging has transformed both mother and daughter. Jenny, who says she never previously felt a strong desire to volunteer, now finds herself eager to contribute to the school's ecosystem. Meanwhile, Linden — the child who arrived on her due date and meticulously watches before she leaps — is beginning to blossom.
Recently, Linden asked to join an aerial silks camp. "We dropped her off for six hours," Jenny says. "We were more cautious than she was! That bravery is supported by the foundation she built at Childpeace."
A Legacy of Agency
As Childpeace celebrates 50 years, Jenny looks at her 6-year-old and already sees the long-term benefits of a Montessori education.
"I want Linden to look back at her bread-baking days and remember that she has a sense of agency," Jenny reflects. "However big the world is, she knows she can boil it down to the smallest things and find her belonging in that project or that circle. We know now that she will always have that."
