Patti Lock
Cummings Professor of Mathematics and Chair of Department

Patti Lock loves teaching. There’s a twinkle in her eye as she talks about her students, work, classes, and teaching experiences. After 22 years at St. Lawrence, she also shares her knowledge of teaching with other professors and students both on and off campus.

“Mathematics education is my passion; my interest in graph theory [her principal area of interest in math] takes a back seat to my work in teaching,” explains Lock. She is co-author and project director of the top-selling pre-calculus book and the second most popular calculus text in the nation. “These books have changed the way calculus is taught,” she explains. “Working on texts while teaching the classes for which they are written keeps my life interesting. I’m always asking myself: ‘How can I teach this better?’”

Although she enjoys visiting different campuses to talk about math teaching, Lock is always happy to return to her own classes. “I love the students at SLU—they’re smart, but not in a competitive way,” she points out. “They cooperate and push professors to go deeper into subjects so that they understand why.” Lock tries to foster this by encouraging students to work in groups.