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Can you tell us about yourself? 

"Hello. My name is Whitney Prenger. I am the principal at Vejar Elementary School and we are in Walnut Valley unified school district in California." 

Why did you start a career in education?

"Question number two, why did I start a career in education? You know, I learned after I graduated college that I wanted to enter a job where I was able to help kids and make a difference in their lives and hopefully leave an imprint on their heart and a legacy for them to remember that they can be anything that they want to be on a beam." 

If you could have any other job what would it be and why?

"If I could have any other job in the world, it would be, um, probably dancing on fraud way. I love to dance and sing and I've been an entertainer growing up and I think I bring that element to my role as a leader to make it fun and lighthearted and to continue bringing our talents and our joy to our roles as educators."

How are kids different now than 30 years ago?

"Um, kids are different today than they were 30 years ago because 30 years ago I was a kid. And so I would say that growing up without a device or social media or computers and internet in the classroom has really adjusted the way that children see themselves and grow their identity of who they are." 

How is teaching different now than 30 years ago?

"Also adjusted how we teach them and how they're learning." 

What would you tell someone who wants to become a teacher?

"Someone was thinking about becoming a teacher. Advice I would give them is that, go for it. Um, think about the things that you needed as a student. Think about the roles that you needed your teacher to play as you were, um, going through elementary, middle, high school, and college even, and be the teacher that you always needed."

What is one thing you would change to help kids learn better?

"One thing I would like to change to help kids learn better is to just remind adults that we should lead by learning and be the example of learners in our classroom. And just remember that our kids have so much to teach us if we're just willing to listen and honor who they are."