Teaching in Wacissa: Naomi Cummings

Lina Nissley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Born and raised in Jefferson County, 87-year-old Naomi Cummings has supported her community as a teacher for over 40 years.
Cummings had previously taught at Wacissa Elementary School as well as Jefferson Elementary School, and although she has been retired for 35 years, Cummings says she looks back on her years teaching as a deeply rewarding experience.
Growing up in Wacissa, Cummings explained how many people who live in the rural areas had to rely on themselves for their own livelihood.
“We had a garden where we grew our own fresh produce,” she said, also saying that fishing in the nearby pond was another way she and her family provided food for their table. “Growing up here in rural Jefferson County, you had to learn these skills to survive,” Cummings said. “It was a good experience,” she added.
Despite the trying times of finding creative ways to provide for themselves, Cummings said that she loves the country and the community. It was difficult, but feeling the connection to others in the rural community was a special part of growing up and living in rural Wacissa all those years ago.
“Everyone cares about one another," she adds.
When she became school-age, Cummings attended Wacissa Elementary School and then Howard Academy High School. Wacissa Elementary, Cummings noted, was a smaller school than what most students are accustomed to today.
She recalls how the school building was made up of only three large rooms, with one auditorium where programs were held along and a cloakroom for the student’s coats and lunches to be kept.

After graduating from Howard Academy High School, Cummings then went on to attend Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, where she obtained a degree in Elementary Education.
“I always wanted to be a teacher,” Cummings explained, sharing that helping children learn and grow was always something she deeply cared about. It was that ability to foster educational and personal growth in children that was the most rewarding aspect of her teaching career.
“This occupation was the one I needed,” she said.
When asked about what advice she would give those considering a teaching career, she said: “If you are interested in children’s progress this is a good field for you.”
Having taught in the Jefferson County community for so many years, Cummings left a positive and memorable impression on many of her students.
By now, all of her students have grown up in the community and many have had families of their own, and they can still recall the positive impact she has had on them.
Cummings shared a story regarding one of her former students, whom she had taught in Kindergarten, who approached her at church and thanked her for all she had done.
Naomi Cummings and her late husband, William (Bill) Cummings, have one daughter, Carmen. She has two grandchildren, Dexter Martin Jr and Nicholas Martin, and a son-in-law, Dexter Martin Sr.
Cummings still resides in the Wacissa community.