All teachers are committed, but these teachers are committed in a deep and personal way to each student and family, to a common and unique way of life, to the preservation of their community and to providing appropriate opportunity for the children. They care in a way that most teachers are too overwhelmed to care, and it works. Longwood's own Paulette Parks is one of the best and most dedicated - based both on my observation and on what many others had to tell me.
After touring the school in the early afternoon Paulette and her mother invited me to their warm and comfortable home for the evening meal - at about 3 p.m.! That was a little later than usual because of my visit. The watermen are on the water by 3 or 4 in the morning and are ready to retire for the evening meal by mid-afternoon before returning to the docks for the last chores of the day.
But before dinner we had to rush quickly to the grocery store - Thursday was produce day. Produce comes in only once a week. The small store consists of just two short interior aisles (maybe 30 feet), stocked on both sides with relatively small jars and cans of the most popular items and two exterior aisles that included bread, a couple of frozen food cases and the produce section - about the size of a small closet. Paulette stocked up on turnips, corn, green beans and a few other items, went to the checkout section where each family runs a tab and pays - once a month or on whatever schedule accommodates each family. There are no bills sent; just gentle personal reminders if the payments aren't as regular as they should be. We loaded Paulette's shopping in the huge basket of her bicycle and walked it the few hundred feet back to her home.
Over dinner of a delectable crab casserole, green beans, sweet potatoes and a special pineapple meringue pie, I asked Paulette if she shopped anywhere else. The reply was an emphatic "Sam's Club!" Seeing my amused and inquisitive expression she pulled out some large black, heavy-duty plastic bags and chuckling, she said, "This is what we call Tangier Samsonite. When we shop on the mainland, we have to put everything in these bags for the boat ride back to the island to keep them from getting wet." She then showed me a well-stocked pantry that was especially useful this past winter. Tangier was iced in for nearly three weeks - taking a U.S. Coast Guard cutter to get the mail boat in and out a few times a week with minimal supplies.
 Shirley's Bay View Inn |
As we walked along everyone spoke to everyone and inquired as to someone's health or the baby shower the next week. I had the opportunity to observe the Tangier phenomenon of "talking backwards" or "over the left talk" - the usual mode of conversation among the islanders. That is when the statement made with a special intonation means the exact opposite of what the words mean. Paulette gave me the example that if she saw a handsome man while out shopping, she would say to Henrietta "He's ugly!" This is the common way of talk on the island and not to do it requires special effort. Paulette says that when she came to Longwood that was one of the most difficult obstacles she faced - "learning to talk proper." Now she sees to it that her students are fluent in both ways of talking - but when they talk to one another on a day-to-day basis they "talk backwards."
Though linguists disagree on the absolute origin, the islanders, for the most part, speak what many have identified as Cockney or Cornwall English. To me it certainly sounded more British than American English with many expressions that I was unfamiliar with. The most common word I observed on that stroll was something of a melodic, almost sung "HEY." It was the greeting to each person regardless of age or any further conversation. At one point several people within earshot were offering the greeting to others - and it was genuinely friendly, almost a lighthearted experience.
When we arrived back at Paulette's home, her mother was dressed for church. There are two churches on the island, the Swain Memorial United Methodist Church and The New Testament Church. Most islanders are church-going people and even the ones who aren't are highly conscious of God's role in their universe. The Bible is the essence of the value system on the island and much of the social life is centered around the church and most attend church-related activities several times a week.
What about medical care on Tangier? There are two nurses on the island; one is Paulette's sister-in-law. A doctor and a dentist come once a week. In an emergency the nurses perform triage and a helicopter will come to airlift the victim to a mainland hospital - usually in less time than urban rescue squad vehicle could make its way to pick up a victim and get them to a hospital. Paulette's sister-in-law observes that the golf carts are at least partially responsible for today's high incidences of heart disease and obesity. Once, not too long ago, everyone walked everywhere.
As we were closing our time together, Paulette began to speak of her father Edward Vance Parks (now deceased) who come to find out, is also a Longwood alumnus. He entered Longwood in 1949 as a postwar veteran, got his degree in science education and went back to Tangier to teach the rest of his life. In 1969 the National Association of Biology Teachers named him the Outstanding Biology Teacher in Virginia - yes, from the tiny Tangier Combined School. Paulette leaves no doubt that he is her role model. He was a legend on the island as a teacher, coach, civic leader, and rescue volunteer. Paulette is following in his footsteps as one who left the island and returned to make her mark on the children and on the community of her ancestors.
Paulette says that anytime Longwood people come to visit Tangier and would like to say hello, they should just ask someone where to find Paulette. When I looked a little puzzled, she said, "I am the only Paulette on the island. Anyone can tell you where to find me."
Longwood graduates have taken a myriad of paths to various levels of personal and professional distinction, but none more unique or dedicated than Paulette Parks.
Bobbie
Burton
Vice President for University Advancement
 The harbor at Tangier |