Culturally Responsive Teaching in Virgin Islands Classrooms: A Practical Guide

Every new teacher learns quickly that content knowledge is only half of the job; the other half is knowing your students. For educators arriving in the U.S. Virgin Islands from the mainland or elsewhere, that second half comes with a steep and rewarding learning curve. The territory's classrooms bring together young people whose families have lived on these islands for generations alongside newer arrivals from across the Eastern Caribbean, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the Middle East, South Asia and the U.S. mainland.

Culturally responsive teaching — an approach developed by researchers such as Gloria Ladson-Billings, Geneva Gay and Zaretta Hammond — asks teachers to use students' cultural knowledge, experiences and ways of communicating as a bridge to rigorous learning. In the Virgin Islands, that means understanding a particular history, language landscape and set of community expectations. This guide offers a practical starting point.

Start with history — theirs, not just the textbook's

There is a reason the territory requires new school professionals to complete a Virgin Islands history course in their first year. Key moments your students will know — and that you should know too — include:

• The first peoples. Taíno and Kalinago (Carib) communities lived on the islands long before European arrival; archaeological sites and petroglyphs remain, including on St. John.
• The Danish West Indies. For roughly two centuries St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix were a Danish colony built on plantation slavery. Street names, architecture and forts still carry Danish names.
• The 1733 St. John revolt, one of the earliest large-scale uprisings of enslaved Africans in the Americas.
• Emancipation, July 3, 1848. Enslaved people on St. Croix rose up and won their freedom; Emancipation Day is a major public holiday.
• The Fireburn of 1878. A labor revolt on St. Croix led in part by women remembered as the “Queens,” including Mary Thomas.
• Transfer Day, March 31, 1917. The United States purchased the islands from Denmark.
• The path to self-government, including U.S. citizenship for Virgin Islanders in the 1920s–30s and the first elected governor in 1970.

Weave these into your subject, whatever it is. A math teacher can analyze historical sugar production data; an English teacher can study local writers and oral histories; a science teacher can investigate reef ecology in the waters students swim in. When students see their islands at the center of learning rather than the margins, engagement follows.

Language: assets, not deficits

English is the official language of the territory and the language of instruction. But many students move fluidly between Standard English, Virgin Islands Creole (an English-based creole; on St. Croix often called Crucian) and, for many families, Spanish or other Caribbean languages.

Culturally responsive teachers:

• Never mock or “correct” home language in a shaming way. Creole has its own grammar and history; it is not broken English.
• Teach code-switching explicitly. Contrastive analysis — comparing how an idea is expressed in Creole and in Standard English — builds metalinguistic awareness and respect at the same time.
• Use students' languages as scaffolds. Allow partner talk in home languages before writing in English; use cognates with Spanish-speaking learners.
• Listen carefully. Accents and idioms will be new to you. Ask students to teach you expressions; they usually love it.

Courtesy, greetings and respect

One of the first things newcomers notice is the importance of greetings. Walking into a shop, an office or a classroom without saying “good morning” or “good afternoon” can come across as rude. The same is true at school: greet colleagues, custodians, cafeteria staff and parents properly, and expect students to greet you too.

Respect for elders and for authority runs deep, and many families expect a relatively formal relationship between teacher and child. That does not mean cold — Virgin Islands classrooms can be warm, loud and full of laughter — but it does mean that teachers who model courtesy earn respect quickly.

Classroom routines that fit

• Open each lesson with a brief, warm greeting ritual.
• Use call-and-response, which resonates with Caribbean musical and church traditions.
• Build in collaborative structures — group work, peer teaching, discussion circles.
• Be clear and consistent about expectations; explain the why behind rules.
• Praise specifically and publicly; correct privately.

Partnering with families

Families are your most important allies. Many households are multigenerational, and grandparents, aunts and godparents may play central roles. Some parents work long hours in tourism or government jobs; others may be recent arrivals navigating a new system.

• Make the first contact positive. Call or message every family in the first weeks with something good about their child.
• Be flexible about communication. Phone calls and messaging apps often work better than email.
• Show up. School events, church functions, sports games and community festivals are where relationships are built.
• Ask, don't assume. Find out what families hope for their children and what they know that you don't.

Bring the islands into your curriculum

The territory is a remarkable learning environment. Some ideas by subject:

Festivals and the school calendar

Community celebrations are woven into the school year and into students' lives. Get to know them: St. Thomas Carnival in spring, the St. John Festival around early July, the Crucian Christmas Festival spanning the holidays, plus public holidays such as Transfer Day, Emancipation Day and D. Hamilton Jackson Day (also called Liberty Day). Ask students about their favorite parts — you will hear about food fairs, j'ouvert morning, parades and family traditions.

Check your assumptions

Culturally responsive teaching is ultimately about humility. A few honest self-checks:

• Am I treating the Virgin Islands as “exotic” rather than as my students' ordinary, complex home?
• Do my examples, names and images reflect my students — or only the mainland?
• Do I interpret loud, overlapping talk as disrespect when it may be engagement?
• Am I learning from local colleagues, or only from other newcomers?
• Do my high expectations come with high support?

Local educators are your best teachers. Seek out a mentor, observe experienced colleagues and listen more than you speak in your first months.

Keep learning

The Virgin Islands history course, the University of the Virgin Islands, local museums and historic sites (such as Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted) and community elders are all rich sources. For schools and cohorts, our Professional Development Workshops include a session on culturally responsive practice designed specifically for new arrivals.

Further reading: Gloria Ladson-Billings, “Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy” (1995); Geneva Gay, “Culturally Responsive Teaching” (2000); Zaretta Hammond, “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain” (2015). Last reviewed September 2026.

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