Engineering Principles was my main, and first, class I student taught. I started teaching Engineering Principles weeks before picking up CADD I and Makerspace classes so naturally, much effort went towards this class, testing out my skills, new lesson ideas and formats, and figuring out what works and what doesn't before I expand to other classes. The purpose of this class was to introduce students to the world of engineering as well as inspire some to continue to pursue engineering in the future. We started by discussing the different career paths and opportunities in engineering with the Careers unit. Students gauged their interest as I gauged their engagement. This proved a great ice breaker and gave me terrific insight into what direction to take the class next. We then dove into the engineering design process and students got to physically design, build and break test their own cardboard towers. Physically building a project or activity with their own hands seemed to be incredibly important for my students in this class. It seemed to give them confidence in their abilities and immensely fueled their curiosity and enthusiasm for understanding new topics to come. This also seemed even more important at the time because every other class was completely virtual and took an unsustainable toll on the students. Below will be pictures of these hands-on student projects for the tower design project and more. After this, I decided to go into the hydraulics and mechanical advantage unit in order to satisfy state standards. This proved a bit of a challenge, for I knew the students wanted hands-on individual work and the last project was a huge success, but hydraulics and gears needed very specific materials that were not available to most students at home. I ended up building demos of syringe hydraulic presses and made follow-along activities where students observed my screen and documented results. I would have liked for each student to be able to build their own hydraulic contraption but this was not possible during the pandemic. Student enthusiasm and engagement were much lower but the unit did prove effective. Summative and Formative assessments confirmed student learning and while this was less entertaining for the students, the learning objectives were accomplished. Overall Engineering Principles was an invaluable and unforgettable experience teaching-wise and personally. On my last day, a student who rarely talked outside of what was required stayed after and expressed his overwhelming excitement and newfound interest in robotics and engineering which he said I sparked. Knowing I've made an unforgettable and beneficial impact on my students means the world and makes all the challenges and hard work throughout the year worth it.

One of the most essential aspects of an effective classroom is the feeling of safety. Engineering Principles is a place where students can express themself. To achieve this, I always: assure all voices are heard equally, appeal to multiple learning styles, and offer necessary modifications and accommodations needed for students to learn at the same standard as the rest of the class. Below are the results of 3 questions from my student feedback survey pertaining to a safe learning environment. These results are class-specific, unlike the overall results shown in the Safe Learning Environment section. My Engineering Principle class showed outstanding success with all students to varying degrees affirming the safe environment in the class.