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| Ms. Viola Perrault 4th Grade Teacher, Pilot, Adventurer, SCUBA Diver, Shell Collector, and inspiration to many generations of students. |
At an impressionable age Ms. Perrault was one of those teachers who instilled excitement into the learning process. She gifted us with a desire to learn more. To this day I recall one of my favorite times of the school day was reading time. She introduced us to stories as varied as the fantastically whimsical Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to the very poignant and grown-up tale of Flowers for Algernon. For myself and every student she ever taught the year-long class project of collecting, classifying, memorizing and displaying a sea shell collection was the highlight of our education.
Being that we lived in the tropical paradise of Guantanamo Bay we had a veritable treasure trove of opportunities and locations to seek out shells for our projects. Ms. Perrault even coordinated with the Navy to make use of their vessels to take us on field trips to beaches not normally accessible to us. Trying to sleep the night before a field trip across the bay was as pointless as trying to sleep on Christmas Eve - you fought it all night long.
Over the years the knowledge I learned that very special year has faded. Where once I could rattle off the scientific name of every sea shell I owned, the location in the world where they were found and a plethora of ancillary information, I can now recall just the common names of most shells. But where that knowledge may have faded over time, my love of the sea and marine life and the marine eco-system has not. Now some forty-three years after Ms. Perrault gave me the gift of love of sea-life I find myself once again digging in, researching, classifying, memorizing and building a shell collection to display, both actual and virtual, hopefully educating and passing on the love of the life aquatic to others.
Thank you Ms. Perrault for the gift you gave me and so many others those many years ago.
I'm curious what year Viola Perrault was your 4th grade teacher. Was it in the early 60s? My 4th grade teacher at an airbase in Morocco in 1956 was Viola Perrault though I am no longer certain of the spelling of her last name. We stayed in touch for many years - even into the 1970s when I believe she was living somewhere in New England. Could it be the same Viola?
ReplyDeleteHello Lida,
ReplyDeleteI do not know if it is the same Viola or not. I do know she was an avid traveler so it would not surprise me to learn she may have taught elsewhere.
I had her when I was in fourth grade on the naval base at Guantanamo Bay. We were there from 1970-1974 and she was my teacher in 1971-72.
The last I heard she was living in a retirement community somewhere in New Mexico I believe.
Thanks so much. I expect that there are many more of her students who thought she was the 'best ever' My B&W photo of her was taken out in the play area in 1956. Younger of course, but she's wearing the same general style of glasses and her hair is darker - in my mind she had red/auburn hair in the 50's. The hair style is about the same as in your photo - parted on left and relatively short.
ReplyDeleteLida, Charlton,
ReplyDeleteYou are both talking about the same Vi Perrault. She was my teacher, 4th Grade, Gitmo, 70-71. The whole curriculum was based around shells. Get your math or reading done, go back to shells. She told some great stories. One was about being a young teacher in North Africa, I thought maybe Libya, Wheelus AFB, Morrocco also makes sense. During the school year the local hire staff invited the young teachers our for a local dinner, something the young women teachers really looked forward to. The teachers ate very light lunches at school, a hard boiled egg, some crackers, etc. So when they went out for this big authentic North African Meal they didn't get Baba Ganouch, Hummus, Falafel, 7 spice, etc., they got a Camel ride, hard boiled eggs and a bottle of Coca Cola. The locals were very keen to give the svelte Americans what they thought they'd like. It was a great year, I learned a lot about shells and can still name most of them. Lived in Gitmo till '79, and most my brothers and sisters had her as a Teacher...the benefit of being teachers kids. We thought she retired to Sun City, AZ, not sure. In the early 70s, I'm sure she was in her 60s, always traveling, went to Mexico to dive on Spanish ship wrecks, brought home artifacts and shells. We even got a field trip to her BOQ room where she had a collection of very special shells in her wardrobe and an aquarium tank with a baby sea turtle. One field trip to the beach was planned and for good behavior a second to Leeward Side, Chapman Beach got worked in. She was a most memorable lady.
I also had Viola Perrault as a 4th grade teacher in Gitmo in 1977. She was an amazing teacher and I too, still love hunting and classifying shells. Does anyone else remember how she would often start the day talking to us about whatever piece of jewelry she was wearing? There was almost always a story about a trip she had taken to an exotic location where she had acquired said jewelry. I also remember the field trip to her house to see her special shells. I remember more from the year that she taught me than any other year in school. What a great teacher!
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