Margaret Skarland
Worked at UWC Atlantic from 1970 - 1984
Head of English, Head of languages, Houseparent, Head of Drama, Director of Studies
Atlantic College sets out to be an amazing place - and often succeeds in being both empowering and creative. For me and for many others in the 70s and early 80s the gift of that special experience was chanelled through Margaret Skarland who, alas, died on April 9th in Stratford on Avon. Our sympathy and thoughts are with her family and her many friends.
Sometimes the gift came in her personal encounter with the literature she taught, sometimes through her acute perception of another’s different potential, and sometimes through her respect for that person’s own truth. The core of her strength is shown in her talisman quotation from Jane Eyre who, when asked why she should hold to her judgement when no-one cares what she does, replied:
‘I care for myself....the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.’
Her own integrity coupled with unstinting generosity was the strength of her teaching, her work as houseparent and director of studies and just as present in her enabling of the poetry-writing activity and the variety and dynamism of her commitment to drama in the college.
From Atlantic College, Margaret moved on to be Principal of St Clare’s in Oxford. She and I then retired to the same village near Stratford on Avon and shared 20+ happy years there, though Margaret’s health increasingly became an anxiety. Margaret enjoyed time in her garden continuing the pleasure she had discovered in the cottage garden at St Donat’s. We both did a postgraduate diploma at the Shakespeare Institute where Margaret’s insight and elegance of expression was the wonder of the staff. She took up Latin Literature in a big way and joined an excellent class. We did not go in for any more Skar-jack drama productions but belonged to the local book club, learnt to play bridge and, at her insistence, joined an aqua-fit group - though neither attained great prowess in the water any more than at college!
Just now all those happy years seem a long way away but I trust they will come back as more important than the immediate loss. Othello’s words at Desdemona’s death:
Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse
pinpoint a wish to acknowledge her value and our loss. This is my attempt to recognise the importance of the death of a person whose sensitivity, insight and grace meant so much to so many.
Catherine Jackson