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The bell rings. The school day begins. And yet, all the teachers are absent! Is this madness? The opposite: it’s an opportunity created by parents and administrators for all staff to enjoy a two-day professional development retreat.

And who’s in the classroom? Parents who have planned and implemented a day of unique educational activities for each and every class. (The second day is a schoolwide day off.) Welcome to The Akiva School of Montreal (K-6), a school that personifies the parent-teacher-student partnership.

What began as a “what if” moment four years ago has become a welcome tradition, and, for many, a high point of the year. A team of parents, guided by administrators, chooses a theme; past themes have included safety, the environment, chesed and health and fitness. It develops programming at all grade levels that are educational, unique, engaging and fun. The planning committee of about 20 swells to 75 for the event itself, with every classroom manned by 3 or 4 parents (and grandparents!) and others acting as “specialists,” “floaters,” and organizers. Every participant is required to attend a training session in advance with the school’s administrators, where he or she is coached on issues such as fire drill routines, managing lunch time, and being a sensitive, discreet disciplinarian. All this to enable the teachers, administrators, and all other staff to collaborate, learn and plan at the Jewish community’s retreat center, 70 miles away.

The variety and creativity of activities, the caliber of special guests and facilitators, and the meticulous precision of the planning combine to create truly magical days. On Chesed Day, the main hall of the school was transformed into a soup kitchen, where children of all ages made sandwiches and fruit salad to donate to homeless shelters throughout the city. Representatives of these organizations, from diverse communities, addressed the children about the needs of the hungry and were moved beyond words at the energy and enthusiasm of the children and parents. On Safety Day, instructors in all kinds of safety taught the older children how to protect their identities on-line, firemen taught about fire prevention and actions to take during a fire; younger children learned about bicycle safety and street smarts. On Health and Fitness Day, children engaged in numerous physical activities but also learned about the Special Olympics and the Canadian organization known as Right to Play, as they concentrated on the tzedakah component to find ways to help others through sport.

Included each time has been an art activity, conceived and run by another group of talented parents. Each year, the teachers return to a new and special theme-related student creation that decorates the walls of the school. There is also always a Judaic component, where the local rabbi teaches the children about a Jewish concept related to the theme, or with a tzedakah project that highlights mitzvot in a concrete and meaningful way.

For the children, the opportunity to have their parents in school for the day, leading activities and sharing the routines, is very special. They enjoy having the role of advisor, telling the parents how they hang up their coats, eat their lunch, or get dismissed. And they love the special activities, so different from a regular day, yet so full of learning and excitement.

For the parents, the opportunity to see their children in school is priceless. They recognize, too, the enormous effort and skill needed to be a teacher, and uniformly marvel at how the teachers find the energy to lovingly and enthusiastically do it daily.

And the staff has two full days, without distraction, in a comfortable setting, to bond, strengthen their craft and gain new insights. They return with renewed commitment to their profession and to the students, and with a stronger sense of community. They love hearing from the parents how challenging it was to “take their place” for just one day and that their appreciation for the teachers’ skill and hard work has deepened. The teachers simultaneously hear from the children all that they missed and they wish they could have been there too.

In the end, who wins most? The children, of course. And isn’t that what it’s all about? ♦

Being a member of RAVSAK affords me the opportunity to be part of a community.”

Madeline Rothbard, Head of School Hebrew Day Institute

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