I will soon be completing my job as the Educational Psychologist. When my wife and I arrived in August 2008, we were asked to share our expertise in ways that would help the teachers, students, administrators and parents in Anguilla.

Peter Wolinksy

Over the course of the past two years, we worked to help people enhance their skills in a variety of areas including: early identification of children with learning or behavior problems; improving behavior management in the schools; reducing violence in schools; understanding children’s mental health issues; improving critical thinking skills; and improving literacy instruction. I also conducted teacher and parent training sessions, shared ideas on school reform, and tested many children to help determine why they were struggling in school and what to do about it.

I did not come to Anguilla, however, simply to share my knowledge. The decision to embark on this adventure was based upon many factors, and foremost among them was the hope that I would come away with new experiences, new friends and a deeper understanding of the world. This has certainly been the case, and when I leave Anguilla next month I will do so having learned and grown a great deal. In this final article, I list just a few of the things that I have learned in Anguilla.

Tranquility is wrapped in blue on this island. Anguilla is blessed with a natural resource that is unparalleled. I thought I would never find a beach that would surpass my favorite, which is on Cape Cod. I think Shoal Bay has edged it out. I am still amazed by how beautiful the beaches are in Anguilla, and the endless shades of blue.

Parenting is hard all over. Mothers and fathers in Anguilla face the same challenges as elsewhere, but often with far fewer social resources to help. The most encouraging results I have seen have been when the local community steps in to help. It truly takes a village to raise a child. A great example is the new group called Anguillians Believe in Children with Disabilities. A.B.C.D. is a group of parents and educators that meet to support each other, and their children who struggle at home and at school due to various disabilities.

Island Harbour is a great place to live: the fishing boats, the view from Harbour Ridge Road, Cote Mer, Project HAANDS, the sense of community.

Not every goat looks the same. I have come to know many of my neighborhood goat-friends as they enter my yard and eat the grass. I hope they will miss me as much as I will miss them.

Anguillians are the Kings and Queens of barbequing. I thought I was the barbeque king before I arrived here with my little propane grill. No way! The Pit Stop and Ken’s BBQ have put me to shame.

Teaching is the hardest profession. I thought I knew this from my experiences in the States. I know it even more from seeing how hard the teachers in Anguilla have to work with many fewer resources.

Politics is politics is politics…Being here during the recent elections was fascinating. While campaigning in Anguilla is very different than in the States (we don’t have many loudspeakers mounted on cars) the same tactics seem to apply. And they are not always civil and polite. Anguilla is not immune from the dark side of politics. Yet, the passion and interest is tremendous; over 80% of the eligible voters went to the polls! You put the States to shame.

Coffee isn’t the national drink. There isn’t a Starbucks or a Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner. This was a difficult adjustment for me at first, but I learned to adapt. Maybe I’ll return someday with a franchise. There is nothing better than a warm, glazed donut.

There is no better way to start the day than to observe an Anguillian pre-school and see the faces of those children.

Car horns in Anguilla are a way of saying hello. In the States, when someone honks at me, my first inclination is to duck below the window because the honker is probably furious at me for not driving fast enough, or for sitting at the traffic light for an extra millisecond.

Anguilla’s schools can be the best in the Caribbean. I have preached this statement many times in previous articles. There are amazing, talented and courageous educators in this country. You have the tools and materials, now build the house!

You don’t need a fancy kit to make a highflying kite.

There is nothing better for lunch than one of Papa Lash’s plantation sandwiches. It ranks right up there with Hungry’s vegetable pasta. Can I convince either of them to open a food van in Maine?

It is hard to match the warmth of the Caribbean sun. It is also hard to match the warmth and integrity of all the Anguillian people that my wife and I have met these past two years: colleagues, teachers, parents, friends, workers. They have helped, taught, entertained and challenged us, and we will both leave Anguilla as better and wiser people.

Thank you for sharing your island with us, and for entrusting us to work with your children.

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