Bryan ISD is proud to announce that SFA Middle School Robotics/Engineering teacher Naveen Cunha has been selected as the Region 6 Secondary Teacher of the Year!
Cunha was selected out of applicants from the 64 districts represented in Region 6. Staff members from Region 6 attended Bryan ISD’s annual Convocation on Friday, Aug. 4 to make the announcement, following the district’s recognition of 2022-2023 employees of the year.
“Receiving this award was such an honor and very humbling,” Cunha said. “I have always loved science and engineering,” he said. “I try to instill a love for learning within all my students.”
He went on to describe teaching as a team effort that takes all departments – curriculum and technology to transportation and school nutrition – working together to educate students and prepare them for their future.
“It truly is a ‘we’ thing,” he said. “We are stronger together. Teachers need to understand that we cannot do it alone. We ourselves learn in the process.”
In his application, Cunha compared students to apples that teachers are entrusted with to care for and cultivate.
“As teachers, apples arrive in our schools every day,” his application reads. “They come in different colors, tastes, flavors and sizes. Some arrive bruised and damaged. Some shiny, some dull, each in various stages of ripeness. What we do with these apples is our choice. … I believe it is our duty to get through the coverings – the chaos and noise – and focus on the small potential within.”
He acknowledged that their students may not fully mature or develop for many years after they have left the classroom.
“But as the farmer continues to have faith that their efforts will make a difference, so must we have faith that our efforts in the classroom will transform these small kernels of life into strong, tall providers of nourishment, shelter, and stability in society long into the future,” he wrote.
Jason Jeitz, innovative staffing and talent pipeline fellow for the Region 6 Education Service Center, said Cunha is a very deserving applicant with a resume unlike many others he has seen.
“We are excited to have such a deserving individual representing Bryan ISD, as well as ESC6, as the Secondary Teacher of the Year,” he said.
Cunha will go on to represent Region 6 – and Bryan ISD – at the state level.
