Student Teaching

For my senior student teaching, I’ve been working at Princeton Middle School with my cooperating teacher, Matthew Halfacre, in a class called Design and Engineering. I teach students across three grade levels—6th, 7th, and 8th—each with their own unique projects and challenges.

In 6th grade, students are introduced to the basics of the engineering design process through simple, hands-on builds using just scissors and hot glue. They construct paper towers that can withstand simulated earthquakes and explore structural design by building a platform that can hold multiple textbooks using only a single index card.

7th graders dive a bit deeper into the content. They learn about the principles of flight and apply what they’ve learned to build balsa wood gliders using X-Acto knives. Instead of the traditional crash car unit, I taught a unit on the transfer of motion, where students designed and built their own cam and follower automata—a creative and challenging way to explore mechanical movement.

In 8th grade, the class shifts into more of a traditional woodshop structure. Students begin by using coping saws, files, and sandpaper to create wooden puzzles. They then move on to building CO2 dragsters, shaping and refining their cars using hand tools and finishing techniques to get them ready for race day.

This experience has been incredibly formative for me. The classes are engaging, creative, and full of energy—and seeing how deeply students get involved in the work has helped me grow so much as an educator.