Psychology Professor Bob Thompson has been teaching psychology at Shoreline Community College for more than 13 years.  In addition to general psychology, Thompson teaches lifespan development, a course that provides students the opportunity to survey human development from conception through late adulthood, exploring the physical, emotional, cognitive and psychosocial development of humans. 

His general philosophy of education is that “in order for course content to e worthwhile for the student, it should be presented in a way that is meaningful, visual, invokes curiosity and is actively learned.  Learning should be fun and at the same time maintain high academic standards,” he says.  Thompson greatly values the support and freedom to develop innovative courses and pedagogy at Shoreline Community College. 

Prior to coming to Shoreline CC, Thompson was an assistant psychology professor at Rollins College, a small liberal arts college in Winter Park, Florida.  In addition to general psychology, Thompson taught developmental psychology, social psychology, and advanced developmental psychology as well as other classes such as moral development, redefining intelligence and introduction to human emotions. 

Thompson was director of the Child Development Center at Rollins, and as director of the Jamaica Service-Learning Project, provided a service learning experience for students in the poverty-stricken Blue Mountain region to prepare them to communicate, live and work more effectively in a different culture.  This annual trek has evolved into a lifelong community service commitment for Thompson.   He returns every year with a group of students to provide both educational tutoring services and to work on community projects.   SCC students earn five credits for the class, “International Service Learning.”  

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology with honors from Hampden-Sydney College, awarded a Lettie Pate Evans Research Fellowship and a National Science Foundation Fellowship.  He also has a master’s degree in general psychology from the College of William and Mary.

Psychology Professor Bob Thompson has been taking students to the Blue Mountains in Jamaica for over 16 years to prepare them to live, work and communicate more effectively in a global environment.  Each year he coordinates a team of Shoreline Community College students to work on projects with the locals while providing them the opportunity to grow intellectually and personally through the experience. This new model for learning called service learning is gaining in popularity each year.

Over the years, Thompson made friends with Jamaican coffee farmers and learned about their business.  Although the highly sought after beans can sell for up to $45 a pound in the U.S., and up to $100 a pound in Jamaica,  these farmers make only a few dollars a pound, and thus live in poverty.  Thompson has wanted to help these farmers out for a long time, and in the last year, found people in the Seattle area to roast the beans at no cost.  Thompson will sell the beans locally this spring to help the farmers out financially and to purchase school supplies for the children in Jamaica.  He hopes that the business will grow and provide a steady stream of income for these farmers in the future.  You can read more about Professor Thompson by reading an article in the Enterprise Newspaper.