At Garden School, parents play a variety of roles—as class parents, chaperoning class trips, and of course their invaluable contributions through the PTA. Lately, we’re starting to see yet another type of involvement: parents offering their skills in ways that are complimentary to what we envision as enrichment for our students.

Last semester, for example, a parent/talented fashion designer taught an after-school course in fashion design. Once a week, she led a group of students through the stages of designing and constructing clothing, culminating in a runway show at our Winter concert. Another parent is now leading an after-school international cooking class in which students prepare a full meal from a different country each week. Before the dicing and slicing begins, students spend time learning about the country itself, taking a “tour” to the lands where pizza, stuffed grape leaves, and dumplings—among many others—are made.

Two days ago, I visited a seventh-grade Shakespeare class being taught by a parent who specializes in the staging of Shakespeare plays. The session, the first of three guest lectures by this parent, focused on The Tempest, which the seventh grade is now reading for class. I stepped in to find a classroom pulsing with energy as students enacted a scene from the play accompanied by music and choreography. Another teacher, who was observing, said that if she had been in a class like this when she was in middle school, she would have instantly fallen in love with Shakespeare! Here was an instance of the talents and skills of one of our parents supplementing and enhancing the work of one of our teachers in a very positive and supportive manner.

All of these examples are what we regard as enrichment for our students, and point to a dynamic connection between all segments of Garden School’s community. When teacher, parents and students come together to create “this fine madness,” the results can be astonishing.