{"id":326207,"date":"2026-06-07T03:38:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T03:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/326207\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T03:38:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T03:38:18","slug":"longtime-instructor-influences-decades-of-learners-june-2026-texas-tech-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/326207\/","title":{"rendered":"Longtime Instructor Influences Decades of Learners | June 2026 | Texas Tech Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Terri Navrkal has been teaching the son of one of her former students.<\/p>\n

\t\tCREATORS<\/p>\n

\"Portrait<\/p>\n

Texas Tech K-12 health teacher Terri Navrkal<\/a> was stunned when she saw the familiar name in her email, a communication from the
\n mother of one of her current students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hi, this is Carter Steed\u2019s mom! But also, it is Erin Fletcher (Steed) from Coronado
\n High School!! I could not even believe it when I saw your name here! Carter just transferred
\n here in October and graduates in May. If you will be there, I would sure love to hug
\n your neck after all these years!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Terri\"TerriTerri then (1987) and now.<\/p>\n

Although Terri is the longest-employed teacher in Texas Tech K-12, starting part-time
\n in 1990, she taught in Lubbock public schools for 30 years from 1981-2011. She had
\n Erin in one of her classes around the mid-1980s.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are the odds that I would be teaching a child of one of my former students?\u201d
\n Terri said in disbelief. \u201cI could understand if I were teaching in a public school,
\n but Texas Tech K-12, amazing!\u201d<\/p>\n

Come to find out, since they\u2019d been out of touch for decades, Erin is also a Red Raider
\n with a bachelor\u2019s in journalism<\/a> specializing in broadcast.<\/p>\n

\"CarterTerri with Carter Steed at commencement. <\/p>\n

Long-Term Part-Time Gig<\/p>\n

Terri is a graduate of Texas Tech<\/a>\u2019s College of Education<\/a>, earning a bachelor\u2019s in secondary education and a master\u2019s in educational administration.
\n In those 30 years in public school, she was a teacher, assistant principal, associate
\n principal and retired in May 2011 as the executive director of personnel.<\/p>\n

While working in the public schools, Terri wanted some part-time work. She had a close
\n friend who worked as a health instructor for then-TTUISD. The school was looking for
\n a sociology teacher, and the friend gave Terri\u2019s name to the executive director \u2013
\n who Terri also happened to know because she taught one of the executive director\u2019s
\n sons at Coronado.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe called me, visited with me and hired me,\u201d Terri recalled. \u201cI won\u2019t lie; The pay
\n was good, and I could work part time while working full time! The rest is history.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Terri\"TerriTerri with her husband Steve, earns her master’s degree.<\/p>\n

After she was hired, health classes were added to her teaching duties.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She teaches three health courses for Texas Tech K-12: CPR, Health 1 and Career and
\n College Exploration \u2013 Exploring Health Sciences. She also is certified to teach (and
\n has taught) health and sociology for grades six through 12. Additionally, she is a
\n certified Driver\u2019s Education instructor.<\/p>\n

Terri believes health is a course that should be required for all students in high
\n school.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the one subject that can literally save your life,\u201d she says emphatically.
\n \u201cTopics that are covered are topics that teach us how to prolong our lives. Health
\n is a subject that combines physical, mental and social well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enduring Impact<\/p>\n

Having spent decades in both traditional classrooms and the distance learning space
\n \u2013 starting at Texas Tech K-12 when it was all by snail mail, then by fax and email
\n before going fully online \u2013 Terri has adapted alongside its evolution while continuing
\n to build meaningful connections with students.<\/p>\n

\"ATerri earned recognition in the Coronado High School newsletter in 1983.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis sounds like I am being boastful, but I know if students saw me and interacted
\n with me, they would say I am enthusiastic, friendly and willing to help,\u201d Terri grins.
\n \u201cI usually overcome the lack of face-to-face interaction by encouraging students to
\n attend my tutorial sessions, if for no other reason, just to get to know me, put a
\n name with a face. I always provide an introduction of myself to students as they enroll
\n and submit their first assignment for grading.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cari Moye<\/a>, Texas Tech K-12\u2019s principal of Recruitment, Investment, Strategic Partnerships &
\n Pathways and Engagement, explained that Terri has been a valued part of the K-12 family
\n for many years and is deeply respected by both staff and students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe consistently goes above and beyond in everything she does, and her genuine heart
\n for educating and supporting kids shines through every day,\u201d Moye said. \u201cWe are truly
\n lucky to have her as part of our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Terri\u2019s dedication and love for education is enduring, to say the least, having worked
\n in the field most of her life. To her, the most rewarding part of being an educator
\n is her belief that she truly makes a difference in a student\u2019s life. She loves what
\n she does and interactions with her students \u2013 and her devotion and enthusiasm is sometimes
\n rewarded when she least expects it.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo this day, there are former students I will run into at the grocery store, shopping
\n at the mall or eating at a restaurant that will ask, \u2018Are you Mrs. Nav?\u2019\u201d she says,
\n with her eyes sparkling. \u201cAnd I cannot tell you how many of my former students will
\n say I was their favorite teacher. That\u2019s what is rewarding!\u201d<\/p>\n

Students like Erin Steed, who recognize and remember her fondly after 30-plus years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TerriRaider Red, Terri, Carter and Erin posing at graduation in front of marquee letters.<\/p>\n

Terri\u2019s lifetime of imparting knowledge endures, whether a student was traditional
\n like Erin or is at a distance like Carter. Her go-to advice works for any age and
\n era: You can do anything in life that you want to. Just make sure you remain true
\n to yourself, set lofty goals, work hard and have fun along the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Terri Navrkal has been teaching the son of one of her former students. CREATORS Texas Tech K-12 health…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9030,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":["post-326207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lubbock","tag-lubbock","tag-lubbock-headlines","tag-lubbock-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}