Joan Gilbert-Newton is a Victor Senior High Spanish teacher. She has 25 years of experience as a teacher and 28 years as
a mother. Through these experiences, she has learned a lot about how to be a good teacher and mother. She expressed her gratitude towards the school and everything it has done for her and her children.
Gilbert-Newton didn’t always want to be a teacher. She went to college for physics, but she soon found that wasn’t her passion. Spanish was the only subject in high school that she struggled with, however, when she stumbled across a Spanish course and decided to give it a shot.
Once she realized how much she enjoyed Spanish she had to find out what she was going to do with her major. She decided to go for her master’s degree to become a Spanish teacher. Once she graduated college she worked at Michigan for 10 years. After that, she transferred to Victor where she is going into her 15th year at Victor.
Gilbert-Newton has four kids, three girls and one boy. Being a mother of four has helped her to understand kids more and how to meet them where they are not expecting them to be somewhere they’re not.
On the other hand, being a teacher has helped her instill respect and manners in her kids when they are in a classroom. Due to this, all four of her kids were well-rounded in not just manners but academics and athletics as well.
Throughout their combined 16 years of high school, her kids were involved in many activities, such as lacrosse, soccer, tennis, basketball, Special Olympics, and more. They were also involved in many clubs and academics, such as band, orchestra, and countless AP classes.
All of her children were very successful due to the help and opportunities at Victor. Two of her daughters had IEPs based on their needs throughout high school. These individualized plans helped learning become more obtainable for them.
When I asked Gilbert-Newton if she was satisfied about the school’s accommodations and inclusivity she said, “Yes, Victor academically supported and offered my children what they needed at their level…They were supported academically as well as interests.”
Mrs. Gilbert-Newton, or as her students call her, G-Money, will always be a loved aspect of this school. I had her my sophomore year, and she was very accommodating to my needs for the class. She was always there to support me through my struggles and celebrate my accomplishments, and for that, I will be forever grateful.
