Only a Dot on the Map

St. John Remembered

Charlotte Fish Lacey did something remarkable after spending two vacations on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands: She asked for an unpaid leave of absence from her elementary school in Massachusetts so she could teach in the Virgin Islands for a year. She sent her resume to the Virgin Islands Department of Education on St. Thomas and was thrilled to accept a position as a permanent substitute. Very few people had telephones on the island, and she had to report to work every day as teachers could not call in sick. She later taught second and third grades. At the end of the school year, she received a call from the superintendent of schools in Massachusetts, asking if she was planning to return for the new school year. She asked if her leave could be extended. We have about fifty applicants for your job, he told her. She wasnt ready to come back and ended up staying on the island for twenty-five more years. This is the story of some of her adventures in Only a Dot on the Map.