Voices and Visions of Education Heroes, Leaders, and Elders

About the Book

From the birth of a formal education system through the end of slavery in the early nineteenth century to today’s struggles to incorporate technology into classrooms, this book delivers a detailed history of schooling in the British Virgin Islands. Charles H. Wheatley, OBE, PhD, a lifelong educator and school administrator, has been practicing his craft since 1955 when the first Education Act was passed in the Virgin Islands Legislature. He puts the classroom to life on the printed page. The author highlights the struggles and triumphs of the leaders, elders, and heroes in the growth of the educational system, focusing on the period from 1834 to 2016. On this journey, you will hear various voices of British Virgin Islanders as they fought for better educational opportunities for the children of the territory—and you’ll see faces of change as society evolved. Each chapter addresses issues in education from a historical perspective, with the characteristics of each historical period clarifying the roots from which our educational growth started. Trace the path of the British Virgin Islands’ development through the prism of the educational strides its made while responding to massive demographic, social, and technolgical change.

About the Author

Charles H. Wheatley, OBE, PhD, began his career in education as a teacher in February 1955 at East End Methodist School. He served as a head teacher of North Sound Methodist School, West End Methodist School, Cane Garden Bay Methodist School, East End Methodist School, and Road Town Elementary School. He was the first local principal of the British Virgin Islands High School before serving as chief education officer for seven years, followed by four years as permanent secretary for the Ministry of Health, Education, and Welfare. He left that position to serve as president of the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College for fourteen years, where he is president emeritus and chairs the board of governors.