Ms. Brittany Merino, or Señora Merino to her Spanish students, is in her twelfth year of teaching with all of them being at West Po. She teaches Spanish I, II, and III. Ever since she was in elementary school, playing teacher as a kid, she has wanted to be a teacher. Her love of the idea of grading papers and using an overhead projector pushed her to become a teacher. Merino loves to play soccer, bike with teachers and play with her daughter at the park.

Her passion for teaching also includes interactions with many students, “You know, when you wake up and you’re having a rough morning there’s always that one kid who walks in and is cheerful or happy or makes some silly joke and you know it really flips the mood in a positive way,” Merino said. 

A graduate of George Mason University, she majored in foreign languages with a concentration in Spanish. She also did a semester abroad at a University in San Jose, Costa Rica, because she knew immersion would improve her language skills.

The pandemic changed Merino’s outlooks as she had a different approach with homework pre pandemic.

“I think it really makes sense that homework is just an extension of classwork,” she said.