“I have never had a day when I did not want to come to the classroom. I find a lot of peace in the classroom with the students,” said Viola Newton, a native of the Caribbean and a professor in the African-American and African Studies department. “They really make me come alive and give me a sense of purpose.”
Newton is constantly praised by her students for her dedication and outstanding commitment to them.
Around the Ohio State campus, it is not at all uncommon to hear students discussing the events that occurred that day in her classroom or talking about what she is most famous for, her skills in storytelling.
“Every concept has a story behind it,” Newton said. “I use stories to spark the interest of students because they make the class interactive. When I share a story, the students share a story. Stories keep us alive.”
“When I tell stories, it is like giving a prompt to let students tell about themselves using their own language and their own style,” she said. “This makes them more comfortable to the text because it’s something they can relate to.”
Born on the Island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands in a Danish town called Frederickstead, Newton’s lengthy teaching career has taken her to all levels from elementary to college education in addition to teaching in several locations like New York, Virgin Islands and Guam before making the trip to Ohio.
At the young age of 16, Newton studied mathematics at New York University and received a bachelor’s of science and math in 1968. From there, she went on to get a master’s degree in math at NYU before getting a second masters and a doctorate in English from OSU.
After 31 years in the teaching field, Newton has had many different experiences as she has spent the past eight years teaching at OSU not only in the Department of African-American and African Studies, but she has served in various capacities in teaching such as math, English, educational studies and humanities.
Her teaching style distinguishes her from most because of the impact she has made on her students and the way she unites students across all color lines and ethnic backgrounds. They have found that her stories not only keep them interested in the lecture, but that it helps them relate to the readings.
“I love her,” said Jonathan Wells, a senior in African-American and African Studies and one of her current students. “She’s my favorite professor at the university. She’s very personable, approachable and easy to talk to, and I know I’m her favorite student too,” he joked.
Several students like Chanda Williamson shared this sentiment and want to take several of Newton’s classes during their time at OSU because she is such a disciplined teacher.
“I’ve had her four times since I’ve been here, and I appreciate the way she allows you to make up work and redo low grades,” Williamson said. “Though she gives a lot of work, it helps that she even lets you handwrite some of the papers. She always has it graded with comments the next day. She is a really good teacher,” she said.
“I always instruct my students to write and re-write because good writing is writing and re-writing. I want them to understand their mistakes,” Newton said. “Revision is important to understanding writing. I know the students through their daily writing. That’s the way I keep track of every student’s work and chart their progress – day by day.”
Cathy Campbell, a sophomore non-traditional white student, is taking one of Newton’s classes this quarter. She admits to being initially nervous about taking a black studies course after she was advised not to by someone in her academic department; however, after the first class meeting, she realized that her fears were unnecessary because she saw that Newton treats all her students the same.
“We all feel connected,” Campbell said. “She treats all of her students as individuals, and makes us all more comfortable no matter what color we are.”
Newton said she makes a conscious effort to not give preferential treatment to any student, regardless of race.
“I’m here to teach students, not ethnic groups, not people of color, just students. I don’t see students as being a color; I just see students,” she said.
Another student, Jarene Newton, a senior in international business and Spanish said, “Dr. Newton really wants her students to succeed, and she allows them independence in keeping track of their own grades and attendance.”
Some of her colleagues in the Department of African-American Studies have also expressed the respect they have for Newton as well as enjoying her good humor and good cooking around the office on occasion.
“She is an excellent cook and she has a good sense of humor with her ability to make anyone laugh,” said Ike Newsum, an associate professor in African-American and African Studies. “She’s been with us for probably 3 or 4 years and we think she is definitely something because she serves a very broad range of subjects and students including students in humanities, math and science departments. I consider her a good friend,” he said.
Newton has received numerous teaching awards. These include a distinguished teaching award from both the Virgin Islands and Columbus State. In addition, she was given the outstanding educator award from the Ohio Black Educators group and an award of distinguished service from the North Central Association of Accreditation for colleges and universities.
In her spare time, Newton works with senior citizens and enjoys spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.
She will be taking a trip to Ghana, West Africa with the Ghana Study Abroad Group for six weeks this summer before returning to her home on the island of St. Thomas.
