Medlock Bridge Teacher Honored with Rachel Goldsmith Endowment Special Education Teacher Award

Medlock Bridge Elementary School recently celebrated one of its own as special education teacher Virginia Caswell Lawrence received the inaugural Rachel Goldsmith Endowment Special Education Teacher Award. The Goldsmith family presented Mrs. Lawrence with a $5,000 check during a ceremony held in November.

The award was established to honor the memory of Rachel Goldsmith, a former Fulton County Schools special education student who passed away shortly before her 30th birthday. Now in its first year, the endowment seeks to annually recognize an exceptional FCS educator who demonstrates compassion, innovation, and unwavering dedication to students with special needs.

“We want to show our appreciation, not just for professional excellence, but for the heart and humanity that defines the work of special education teachers,” said Rachel’s mother, Susan Goldsmith. “Through the years with Rachel, we had the fortune to meet some remarkable and compassionate people – her teachers. Special needs teachers are the best of the best. They treat students as if they were their own… with love, compassion, and acceptance.”

Mrs. Goldsmith said Mrs. Lawrence exemplifies the very spirit the award was created to honor.

“Virginia’s ideas are wonderful regarding the connection of general education and special ed students, which we feel is very important,” she said. “Your love and compassion, devotion, and warmth toward your students are much admired. Rachel would have loved you.”

Mrs. Lawrence accepted the award surrounded by her Medlock Bridge colleagues, thanking them and her students’ families for their partnership and support. “I work with the most phenomenal team, and that team includes parents. I am overwhelmed by this honor,” she said.

In her award application, Mrs. Lawrence reflected on how her own childhood struggles with anxiety and ADHD shaped her teaching philosophy.

“I thrived when I had teachers who led with love, so I aspire to do the same,” she wrote. “I always had a passion for helping children, especially those who needed a little, or a lot, of assistance to get a fair shake.”

In her classroom, Mrs. Lawrence blends structure, creativity and compassion, and says her greatest rewards come from the sometimes small but meaningful steps she sees her students make.

“The biggest rewards are watching them grow and make gains, even if it is just a tiny step at a time,” she said. “I honestly do not have the words to express the joy that these children and their families bring me.”

Beyond her classroom, Mrs. Lawrence serves as a schoolwide advocate for inclusion, helping general education students understand and embrace differences. Through inclusive circle times, classroom presentations, and plans for a future buddy program, she works to build meaningful connections across student groups.

The presentation honored not only Mrs. Lawrence’s accomplishments but also the profound impact special education teachers have across Fulton County Schools. Looking ahead, the Goldsmith family plans to expand the Rachel Goldsmith Endowment Special Education Teacher Award to recognize additional educators each year.

Rachel Goldsmith

Virginia Caswell Lawrence and family