Project Lead the Way

After two weeks and 80 hours of class time at Purdue University, Kokomo, I am a certified Project Lead The Way (PLTW) teacher. It was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun too, and I am very excited to be able to teach this. It is neat to think in my second year of teaching I will be bringing a class to Norwell (and all of Wells County) that has never been taught before. This is really exciting , but I have a lot of responsibility to make it a successful program. Civil Engineering and Architecture is something that interested me even before the class, and I am glad I get to share it with a group of young men and (hopefully) women.
Going off of that One of my goals for the class is to increase female interest. Engineering is a very male dominated field, and I think some very smart, capable, and creative girls shy away from the classes because they're are 95% boys sitting in there. To do this, I would like to really show off the females in the classroom and the work they do in class. Ideally I would like to have a day to go over the the middle school and show off the students work, but specifically the girls' work. I would also like to get some actual female engineers and have them talk to class.
I love being a teacher, especially with the changing world of learning and technology we are in. I have the privilege of not only presenting the world to my students, but also direct them in shaping the world we live in. Engineering is just one of those areas. Yes I teach it, but they will also get the chance to define it for themselves, and eventually the world. Yes, there are more men in the area than women, but do we have to accept that?
Can't wait for the next semester!