A Montgomery County Community College part-time faculty member was recognized at Commencement for her stellar work in the classroom. Psychology Senior Lecturer Susan Lawrence was named a co-recipient of the 2023 the Part-Time Faculty Teaching Excellence Award, sponsored by the eCampus Bookstore. Management Senior Lecturer Thomas Costello also received the award.

Teaching excellence awards recognize part-time faculty whose teaching is intellectually stimulating, accessible for all students, and demonstrates a commitment to the well-being of students both inside and outside of the classroom. Part-time faculty, who have attained the rank of regular or senior lecturer no later than the beginning of the academic year in which the award is conferred and are in good standing with the College at the time of nomination, are eligible for the award.

Lawrence was grateful for the award and thanked the College for the honor.

“I’m really happy about it,” she said. “It’s a good honor and kind of a nice surprise. I appreciate it very much.”

Lawrence joined the Montco family more than 22 years as an adjunct instructor at Pottstown Campus. She was named a senior adjunct Psychology instructor in September 2001. Before coming to MCCC, she was teaching preschool.

“I love teaching in general,” she said. “It’s fun to teach at the college level. Teaching psychology is a blast because there’s so much to do with it.”

Among the courses she’s taught at the College include introductory, child, adolescent, human development, abnormal, and personality psychology.

Lawrence is a member of the Pottstown School Board and was named a member of the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit Board of Directors through her role as a school board member.

She’s earned two master’s degrees: one in education in secondary school counseling from West Chester University in 1984, and the other from Ball State University in education psychology, with a certificate for neuropsychology. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ursinus College.

In 2018, Lawrence founded the nonprofit organization Traces of Love, which works to provide support to children grieving from the loss of someone they love.

“My main area of research has been in grief in the last 12 years or so,” she said. “I realized there seems to be a need for grief help. We do two basic things. We have grief groups in schools. We’re currently doing four groups. Two groups at Pottstown Middle School, and groups at East Coventry Elementary and North Coventry Elementary. They’re support groups. We hang out, talk if they want to. It’s a safe place for them. The other purpose is in-service trainings for schools. We talk to teachers and people who work with children about how they process grief and how they can support them.”

Lawrence has four books available for purchase, including her most recent, “The Grieving Child in the Classroom: A Guide for School-Based Professionals”

“I do want people to look at them if it would help,” she said.

For the past 11 years, she has also worked as an adjunct psychology instructor at Ursinus College. She’s taught psychology at Chestnut Hill College and La Salle University, too. In addition, she is a childcare director at the Pottstown YMCA. She previously taught at Reading Area Community College for three years.

“I stumbled into teaching,” she said. “I originally got a degree in school counseling. That’s what I thought I wanted to do. There weren’t a lot of jobs at the time. I had kids and wanted to work part time to stay home with them. I applied for a teaching position at a preschool and loved it. I taught for long time. Then I decided I might teach at the College, right around when Montco started in Pottstown. Stumbled onto it and found out how much I love doing it.”

At Montco, Lawrence said what makes the College unique is the variety of students that come through the door.

“I expected young people but there are people from different ages coming back for different reasons. Especially when I started. There were a lot of nursing students. People coming back to school. A wide range of ages makes a difference in how a classroom is run. At Ursinus, you usually have all young people, it’s a different dynamic. You think teaching college is teaching young people. It’s neat to get perspective from people in different stages of life.”

Her students have given effusive praise for her teaching style. At Commencement, Dr. Chae Sweet, Vice President of Academic Affairs, read from a few of the comments that students submitted in nominating Lawrence for the award.

“She is a very compassionate teacher, who has empathy for her students and what they’re going through,” Dr. Sweet said. “Professor Lawrence works with her students so they can overcome the challenges they are having.”

“Ms. Lawrence is someone that does a lot of interactive teaching in her class. She immerses the student in her teaching,” she continued. “Every single time she teaches, she has my full attention. Sometimes I even forget that I have to take notes because of how focused I am.”

“She is very helpful inside the classroom, as she is outside,” she said. “If we have any questions about anything outside of class, she is always there to answer our emails and the questions.”

Lawrence was touched.

“It makes me feel really good. It’s what I hope I’m doing,” she said. “It’s nice to have that validation. I love my students. I care about them doing well, no matter where they are. Ever since I’ve been teaching, I have had a lot of students with mental health related issues, especially since COVID. I’m glad that comes across.”