My Classrooms

(Technology & Engineering)

Engineering Principles is a full-year course designed to introduce 10th to 12th-grade students into the fields of technology and engineering. All types of engineering are covered, including but not limited to mechanical, civil, environmental, electrical, aerospace, and robotics. This classroom relies on each student's curiosity to point us in a direction to explore how devices and objects work in our everyday world. In doing so, the classroom is very personal in a way where students feel safe to express themselves and their interests. Often, we will have a student presentation of interesting engineering related projects one is working on or pieces of their life. As inspired by my WPI experience, Engineering Principles is a project-based class with a fine balance between theory and practice.

Makerspace is a class inspired by the maker movement, with the motif of "expression through making". Everything a student creates is a piece of themselves, so this class focuses on strengthening the skill of expressing oneself through their creations. Makerspace is a full-year course offered to 10th to 12th-grade students after undergoing an application process. (1) This created a class full of highly motivated and devoted students eager to improve themselves and others.

CADD I is the first of two Computer-Aided Drafting and Design courses offered at WRHS. CADD I is open to all grades and spends the first semester teaching valuable skills for visualizing, designing, and drafting objects using the AutoCAD Web program. CADD I builds up into the 3D CADD II course offered in the second semester. (1) This classroom has a very focused and independent atmosphere where every student is determined to learn every skill offered in the course for themselves. While much is focused on individual development, students never hold back when asking to be put in a breakout room for assistance.

Staff Meetings

Like all of my student teaching, staff meetings are held over google meet. WRHS uses school meetings not only to convey pertinent information, events, and policies to the staff but also to hear the staff's voices and gather input on certain matters. WRHS recognizes the culture and opinions of the staff as an asset to the school, so they use every opportunity to make sure all staff voices are heard in these meetings. The meetings allow any teacher, new or veteran, to speak. Though while open-minded, meetings sometimes get drawn out and go over time, chasing ideas in circles. Overall staff meetings have proven WRHS to be a very welcoming environment.

Family Engagement

At WRHS, parents have a distant but trustworthy relationship with teachers. Grades are our primary communication with parents and guardians during my time teaching. Besides the grade book, Parent-teacher conferences are the next biggest form of communication, but unfortunately, they were pushed back to the second semester after my teaching concluded. I never had to intervene with a student's parents about misconduct either, though I did have an opportunity to impact a student's personal life while offering help with a science fair project.

Resources

  1. Home. (n.d.). Retrieved January 06, 2021, from https://wrhs.wrsd.net/cms/One.aspx?portalId=217232