LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Brena Risner was nominated anonymously.

Ms. Risner creates a positive classroom environment by using whole-brain teaching and conscious discipline. Whole-brain teaching engages all students by combining actions with words. For example, for every vocabulary word, there is an action. All punctuation has an action. For instance, when students start a sentence, she instructs them to bring their hands, then raise their top hand up for a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence. She believes Conscious Discipline requires everyone, including herself, to respect and listen to each other's needs. When her students disagree on something, they sit down and talk it out. She helps to direct the conversation while the students solve the problem. She doesn't solve problems for them. She only intervenes if needed. Ms. Risner's classroom is a community that thrives on respect for each other and the environment.