NNPS Teacher of the Year shares his advice for supporting students
Published August 13, 2026
Whether you're a Newport News Public Schools student, teacher or student's family member, John Lovett hopes you're as enthusiastic about school starting as he is.
He was one of the teachers eagerly reporting to their schools on August 13 to prepare for the new school year that starts August 24.
Lovett is a math teacher and volunteer assistant coach at Warwick High School who has been teaching for 31 years. As the 2026-2027 NNPS High School and Division-wide Teacher of the Year, he will be representing his fellow teachers and the school division at events throughout the upcoming year.
"At some point, you get into a profession and you see the difference you make and you see that that's your calling along the way," said Lovett. "I got into the profession that I was supposed to be in, I believe."
After growing up the son of two educators in northwest Pennsylvania, he didn't want to get into teaching at first. It took a try at studying accounting and several changes of college major before his parents suggested he try teaching math and coaching the track and field that he loved.
Lovett earned a bachelors degree in math from Edinboro University, while competing in distance running, and a master's degree in leadership and teaching from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. After finding few job opportunities in Pennsylvania, he discovered a few in Virginia and came down to check them out.
During his visit, Sussex County Public Schools offered him a job before he left the building. The small, rural district needed only one seventh grade math teacher for the entire county and Lovett soon accepted that role while also taking on some coaching duties.
"The kids would kind of look at you like you're not from here, you're an outsider," Lovett said. "So it took a while for me to win them over."
He began inviting students to participate in 1-mile fun runs that took place along with road races he was competing in. A handful of students on the first outing soon grew to a busload, with students having a ball and earning medals they wore to school the following week.
Some of those students went on to compete in track in high school, earning all-state honors or state championships.
"When students see you taking an interest in them and trying to do something that they see as fun and they're having positive experience with, in the classroom it just changes everything," Lovett said. "Because now they're more willing to sit down and work for you and buy into what you're trying to do for them."
Lovett then taught in St. Mary's County, Maryland, while completing his master's degree, and briefly at the Department of Defense Dependent Schools in Germany. He returned to Newport News to teach at Heritage High School from 2003 through 2016, spent five years teaching in the York County School Division, and returned to teach at Warwick where he's worked since 2021.
Having gotten away from coaching for years, Lovett returned to it with Warwick's track and field team this past spring. He will help coach Warwick's cross country team this fall, as well as the track teams during the upcoming year.
"I've enjoyed that because I'm kind of going back to my roots doing that," he said.
Lovett's laid-back, approachable personality is reflected in his classroom, which he manages in a low-key way. Moving around to check on students, talk informally and keep them engaged in lessons is his way.
Interacting with students is his favorite part of teaching.
"I like seeing them grow along the way," Lovett said. "I like seeing how they become after they were in my class, how they're progressing."
His former students often come back, sometimes to get extra academic help or to visit after they've graduated.
"To see how they're doing and how they're progressing in their career plans and their academic path is always a rewarding thing, especially when you taught them, to see that they're doing well," Lovett said. "So that's one of my things that I really enjoy."
Lovett offered these tips for teachers, students and families.
Tips for teachers
Keep teaching and learning first. Keep preparation for being ready to teach the next day as your priority. If you can answer yes, that you're ready to teach and know your lesson plan ahead of time, other peripheral and administrative tasks and deadlines eventually will be completed.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Each teacher works in a department that has a combined many, many years of experience. There are a lot of good ideas in there. So if you're struggling with something or need a resource, chances are that somebody in your department has what you're looking for. Don't be afraid to go to them and see what they have that's available.
Develop relationships and make connections with your students. When you do that, they're more apt to buy into what you're trying to teach them, when you make those connections with them.
Tips for students
Get involved in a club, sport or activity. When you get involved in something, you're involved with other students and that leads to friendships, comradery and teamwork. You form a bond when you're with those groups. When you have a group that you can rely on, that's your safe space and your support group. That makes your school life a lot easier than just trying to go it alone.
Don't be afraid to ask your teachers for help. That's what they're there for. A lot of times, they might not know where you're having a problem. They might not know that you're struggling with something unless you ask it.
You're going to get frustrated; just don't give up. There are times to step away from what you're doing, take a deep breath, go do something you enjoy, relax a little bit, listen to music or do something like that, and then come back to it and look at it again. Life can be hard and you don't want to give up. You want to develop that resilience, discipline and persistence that's going to eventually pay dividends for you as you get older in life.
Tips for families
Keep tabs on how your student's doing. That's what ParentVUE is for. There are real-time results up there, real-time indicators as to how well they're doing in class. Keep tabs on that on at least weekly basis, if not a daily basis. If something seems off there, feel free to reach out to the teacher and develop a relationship. Teachers are there to work with you. They're on your side and they want your students to succeed. Use that resource that's there so that you can catch things before they become a real problem.
Encourage your student to get involved in a club, sport or activity. This will help your student to find classmates with similar interests, make friends and have a support system at school.
Get involved and support your student whenever possible. If they're involved in a play or a sport, it's one thing to see their friends or teachers coming to support them, but the people they always look for first are parents or guardians. If they're there, they know there's that support at home. So support your child in what they try to do outside of the classroom, as well as inside the classroom.
