‘I do my job because I love it’: says April’s Teacher of the Month

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A Bert Bowes Middle School “support teacher” has been named April’s Pita Pit Teacher of the Month. 

Navenda Wright, the head of the school’s junior alternate program, currently has 15 at-risk kids in the program. 

“They need extra support every day, all through the day at different times so they can get their academics done and hopefully move on to high school and graduate,” she explained. 

The main purpose of this program, Wright said: “is to ensure the most vulnerable students in our school are getting the extra love, support and attention they need in order to be successful.” 

In addition, Wright is the main tutorial teacher and the English language learner teacher for students whose first language is not English. 

Wright was both honoured and shocked to be nominated and named as Teacher of the Month. She was previously named in September 2025. 

“I do my job because I love it. We teachers don’t do it because of the pay,” she noted. 

“It’s a group effort here in this program and at the school,” Wright added. “I’m not always their favorite person. I’m sometimes the person who has to tell them tough things that they may not want to hear.” 

“I didn’t think when I started teaching that teaching would change so much,” said Wright, who has been a teacher for the past 27 years.  

When asked what inspired her to become a teacher, Wright said she wanted to be a better teacher. 

“I had some pretty crappy teachers going through school…those teachers didn’t really want to help me, didn’t believe in me, they didn’t see my self-worth or that I was capable of being a teacher,” she explained, adding that she had good ones too. 

She added: “They thought I was going to drop out and I wasn’t going to be able to handle it.” 

Wright said teaching is a “hard job” 

“It’s not for everyone, and I know a lot of people are not going into teaching because of the environment that we’re living in right now, and it’s not always healthy for teachers or for students,” she added. 

She believes the most challenging part about teaching is that she is not just a teacher to kids. 

“In my case, I’m supporting parents as well as supporting students and since  the introduction of technology, kids are having a difficult time removing themselves from that world,” she explained. 

“So it plays a role in their attention span, how much sleep they’re getting and just what kind of people they’re becoming.”

Outside of teaching, Wright loves going to the gym, reading, spending time with my family and horses. 

“I grew up on a farm with registered quarter horses. My dad and I used to show and train horses,” she added.  

“My daughter now rides, which is lovely. She’s keeping on with the family tradition.” 

Wright is considering retirement and post-retirement, she plans to come back part-time or tutor students outside of school and stay active. 

Sandra Jorgenson, an education assistant at Bert Bowes Middle School, said:  “She works with the at-risk youth in the school…they’re struggling the most.” 

Jorgenson mentioned that Wright feeds and clothes the kids often out of her own pocket. 

“She makes them breakfast every morning, they come to her for their snacks in the day and she takes such good care of them,” she explained, even though it takes a toll on Wright and burns her out, she still does it. 

In addition to this, Wright puts on Christmas for the kids, shutting down their classes for the day, serving a full turkey supper, handing out chocolate advent calendars, and fulfilling their Christmas wishlist. 

Wright said she fundraises all year and doesn’t turn away food, snacks and checks. 

“If there are any corporations or small business owners or anybody out there in the community that doesn’t already donate to the program, we definitely wouldn’t turn away,” she added. 

Wright wanted to recognise people in the community who had already donated to the program. 

“At the beginning of the school year…I go out to family and friends and I ask for sponsorship, and every student in the classroom is given all of their school supplies,” she noted, adding that this year, it will cost $100 to sponsor each child. 

Congratulations to Navenda Wright, April’s Pita Pit Teacher of the Month.

The monthly event is part of Moose Media and Pita Pit Canada’s mission to honour teachers in the community. Each month, the winner receives a $100 gift card and is highlighted in an article on Energeticcity.ca.

Anyone looking to nominate a teacher who deserves recognition can do so here.