Veteran educator Jennifer Alvarado has come a long way from the days of “panicked uncertainty” at the start of her career.
“Something I wish I knew in my first year is that if you don’t always know the answer, it’s ok,” she said with a laugh. “I panicked when students asked questions and I couldn’t answer them … It made me feel like I was failing them …”
As the years continued and she gained more experience, Alvarado was able to “find my style.” And the initial feelings of inadequacy subsided after 30 years on the job.
Alvarado – a mother of three – is a biology teacher at Cinnaminson High School who was recently selected by The National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) as outstanding teacher of the year for New Jersey. The association’s awards recognize teachers for expertise in specific subject areas and service to the NABT, according to the organization’s website.
Alvarado credits her success as an educator to her colleagues, students and “fabulous mentors” she had in her early educator days.
“I am extremely shocked and humbled,” she noted of the award.
Alvarado initially became a teacher because “I knew I wanted to do something with kids,” she recalled. “I always toyed with the idea of becoming a pediatrician, but I just didn’t think all of those years of schooling – and the price tag that came with it – would work for me.
“I knew I wanted to have a family and that would be difficult for me to balance,” she added. “I was a teacher at a summer program for a few years during high school and college and I loved working with kids, so that got me onto the path of education.”
For the upcoming school year, Alvarado plans on implementing a new curriculum she created, and she’s been tapped to teach a new course called Intro to Sports Medicine.
“I teach biology, but I also teach anatomy and physiology and forensic science, for which I wrote the curriculum,” she explained, adding she is “nervous, but excited” to get everything “off the ground and running.”
Alvarado plans to attend NABT’s Developmental Conference in Anaheim, California, this November.
The veteran teacher earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences education from the University of Delaware and a master’s in forensic medicine at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
She has served as head coach of the Cinnaminson High girls’ tennis team and was an advisor for seven graduating classes, a role she will repeat in 2027. Alvarado has also advised the high-school’s Future Healthcare Professionals Club and the Glammour Gals.
“Getting this award reinforces why I became a teacher,” she acknowledged. “Someone must have thought that I made a difference in students’ lives, and that is why they nominated me.”
