Well, there are a few things to consider. What are the likes and dislikes of these villagers, for example? Do any of them dislike work or like resting? Does Perl dislike fish?
I've never yet had a villager who would never do ANYTHING. You just have to keep at them and they'll learn after a while.
Yeah, I know it takes a while to build skill. I've earned 9 totems and I feel that's enough for me, LOL but I want to make sure that everyone is at least Adept at their skills.
Also, I checked Perl' stats and she likes Snakes. That's it.