Susan Morton, MAT, a psychology teacher at Teaneck High School in Teaneck, New Jersey, has been awarded a 2023
APA TOPSS Charles T. Blair-Broeker Excellence in Teaching Award
by the American Psychological Association’s Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools.
Morton has been teaching for thirty years, twenty of which she has spent at Teaneck High School. Both her students and colleagues have expressed deep respect and admiration for Morton’s devotion to her students. Her colleague, Kimberly Pitre, described Morton’s commitment to finding new ways to engage students, noting that Morton “really wants her students to understand the material being taught and goes to great lengths to ensure they understand what they are learning.”
Morton’s dedication to making the coursework engaging is evident in the way she shows how psychology can be applied through relevant examples. From bringing mental health counselors, school psychologists, and neuroscientists to address her class to having students construct models of brains with pasta and candy, Morton constantly finds ways to get her students excited about psychology. She “is constantly reading articles, keeping up to date with the latest information, and trying to find new ways to get her students to learn,” noted Pitre.
Rachel Sherman, a former student, shared a similar feeling of Morton’s numerous ways to engage students and delve deeply into the subjects that interested her students. “Regardless of the questions that our class came up with, Ms. Morton would always find a way to answer them… She dove into the topic with bright curiosity. Even if she didn’t have the answer right away, she would take time out of her personal life to research it for us. Sometimes, a question would lead us intuitively to a half-hour conversation about the topic, which was something that I really looked forward to,” commented Sherman.
As part of her efforts to make learning as authentic as possible and promote her students’ understanding of the science of psychology, her on-level classes engage in a small-group research project. Students are given an independent variable and tasked with designing an experiment that follows the requisite ethical standards (including a form of an IRB) and culminates in a poster session.
Morton has contributed significantly to the teaching of psychology by starting two Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology programs at two high schools in New Jersey. She has grown the psychology program at her own school from one section of AP psychology and two on-level courses to four sections of AP and four sections of on-level courses. This expansion of psychology enrollment led to two more psychology-certified teachers being hired at Teaneck High School.
Morton’s passion for teaching psychology extends beyond the classroom. She has participated in the AP Psychology reading for over two decades, was a staff development presenter for Teaneck Public Schools on brain-based learning, and has given multiple seminar presentations. She is the recipient of several grants and honors for her impact in her classroom and community. Her honors include the Teaneck High School Studio 2B/Forum Woman of Distinction Award, various fellowships, and the Morris Knolls High School Teacher of the Year.
“Susan has a contagious passion for psychology,” said APA TOPSS Committee chair Terri Lindenberg. “Her psychology programs have grown because of her ability to connect with students and create engaging learning experiences. I am particularly impressed with her commitment to recruiting and including students of diverse backgrounds. I have known Susan for years as a fast and accurate AP reader. She is an extraordinary teacher.”
The APA TOPSS Committee is excited to present this award to Susan Morton for her deep devotion to her students and the teaching of psychology.
APA TOPSS Committee Member-at-Large Emily Polacek interviewed Susan Morton about her experiences and advice as a teacher:
