Hello! My name is Whitney Briseno and I live in Texas, USA. I am the mother of two young children. I received my B.A. degree in Elementary Education from The University of Texas at Austin. I am a licensed teacher in the state of Texas to teach pre-K through 8th grade, ESL, and gifted and talented students. I spent 11 years teaching in public education with the last 5 years focusing on the gifted and talented population. Three years ago, I decided to take a step back from public education to stay home with my children. Being a stay-at-home mom is a huge blessing but I was looking for a way to still fulfill my passion for teaching. That is when I started my online teaching journey and have loved every minute of this new adventure!

In my classroom, I believe learning needs to be authentic and engaging. I believe in being a facilitator of learning rather than a deliverer of information. I believe in empowering learners by giving them the confidence to take risks and providing them a safe place to struggle. I believe that what my students become is as important as what they learn. I believe it is passion and hard work that change the world.

I am excited to get to know your child and I hope our time together sparks their passion for learning!

Can’t wait to meet you!
-Ms. Whitney 💕

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CLASS EXPECTATIONS/MUTING:
I do my best to encourage participation from learners enrolled in my classes. I prefer to leave learners unmuted, but as an Outschool parent myself, I understand that there are instances where learners need to be muted due to background noise that cannot be prevented. Parents, please feel free to mute your learners at your discretion. 

As the teacher, there are also instances where I will need to utilize the mute function. If there is background noise that may be distracting to other learners enrolled in the class, I will advise the student that they are being muted to limit the background noise. 

At the beginning of each class, I will also advise the learners of my expectations. Students are required to raise their hand and wait for their name to be called before speaking. To be respectful of all learners and to give everyone a chance to participate, it is important for students to abide by these rules.  I will use visual and verbal cues in an effort to remind young learners of these expectations. 

Students are expected to participate as much as they can or feel comfortable. If a student is too shy to raise their hand, I will not force them to speak. If your student needs to stand up for their lesson or bring a stuffed animal or toy with them to class to make them more comfortable, that's okay too! I want your child to have FUN and LEARN in my classroom, so as long as they are engaging in the lesson, it doesn't matter to me what that looks like!

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SIBLINGS:
If you have more than one learner enrolled in the class, each learner that wants to participate must be enrolled to be fair to other students participating. Enrolled siblings are always welcome to share a screen during class. 

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RECORDINGS:
Recordings are not automatically shown in the classroom. I like to create a safe, open space for students to be themselves and want them to be as interactive as possible. If you would like access to the class recording or have missed class, feel free to message me so I can make it available to you. Teachers don't get notifications if recordings are requested from the classroom tab, so messaging me is best.