Education On her return to the British Virgin Islands, Wheatley resumed her work as a primary and secondary school teacher. In 1981, she traveled to England, where she received further training in education at the
University of Leeds. In the 1990s, Wheatley began lecturing at
H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, the first school of higher education based in the British Virgin Islands. She also served on the college's Board of Governors from its founding in 1990 and helped establish its Virgin Island Studies Program in 1999. She has worked with the
Caribbean Examinations Council to develop standardized test questions, serving on its English Panel. Wheatley was named a member of the
Order of the British Empire in the
1993 New Year Honours for her work in education. In 2011, she was honored again by then-Governor
Boyd McCleary for her contributions to education in the country.
Writing In the early 1970s, Wheatley worked with her students to collect local proverbs and sayings, which she then compiled in her first book, ''Bohog Put in Gol' Teet': Proverbs and Pearls of Wisdom'', in 1974. After her experience working on ''Bohog Put in Gol' Teet''', Wheatley decided to work on a collection of stories about a Caribbean child named Boysie, which borrowed from the islands' folk culture. It was published by UNESCO in 1984 under the title
Boysie and the Genips, and Other Stories. A sequel,
Pass It On!, was published in 1991. She published four children's books in 2005 and 2006:
Danielle’s Trunk,
Ariana likes to Read,
Who Is the Best in the Garden?, and
Timmy Turtle Runs Away, all of which take place in the British Virgin Islands. In 2009, she released her first poetry collection,
Along the Road.
History Wheatley was extensively involved in preserving the history of the islands. She co-wrote with
Eileene L. Parsons the seminal history text
150 Years of Achievement: 1834 – 1984, which was first published in 1984 and revised in 2016. She also engaged in extensive oral history work, particularly with older residents of the island and emigres. She recorded traditional practices, folk tales, idioms, and other aspects of British Virgin Islands culture. Her work to preserve the islands' history extended to its landmarks. Around the turn of the century, she became involved in restoring historic sites on the islands as part of the Millennium Committee.
Other In 2020, Wheatley was appointed to the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board. == Personal life and death ==