She has a master’s degree in plant pathology, law, and education; she has owned her own business; she advises three clubs; and she teaches two of the most challenging science courses at the high school. North Penn Science teacher Ms. Nina Ferrant is one woman engaged in life.

She teaches two courses this year, AP Chemistry and Advanced Biology. However Ms. Nina Ferrant has taught a wide variety of classes during her tenure at North Penn, including all levels of chemistry, 10th grade Honors Biology, and Advanced Biology.

“This year I have mostly seniors, which I do enjoy. I love my classes” said Ferrant, “But I think my favorite schedule that I ever had was two years ago where I taught 10th grade Honors Biology, Honors Chemistry, and Advanced Biology. It was certainly my most demanding schedule, but all of my classes were so different. I taught every grade from sophomores to seniors.”

Ms. Ferrant grew up in what is now the Methacton Area School District but attended a private Catholic School in Norristown. After high school she went to college locally at La Salle University where she received a bachelor’s degree in pre medicine and then a master’s degree in plant pathology. After college she worked for a brief period in New Jersey and then headed out to work for a seed company in Iowa, where she lived for three years. Her seed company distributed different types of variations of seeds. “Take green beans for example, there are hundreds of different variations of them grown throughout the country,” said Ferrant. “Chances are that at one point all the string beans sold in cans and distributed throughout the country went through my hands.”

Ms. Ferrant’s time in Iowa came to an end after a run in with a lawyer in the Boise Courthouse. She was there to give reasoning why a project she was working on needed more government funding. The lawyer told her the government wasn’t willing to give her the money telling Ferrant if she was a lawyer she would understand why. “So I decided to go back to school and get my law degree so I would understand. My temper getting the best of me once again.” she laughed.

She came back to the east coast for school where she attended Villanova University and received her masters degree in law. She then worked in various firms around Philadelphia and even branched out to do some Maritime work. “When there was a lot more trading between ships out at sea, I often was put on those cases” Ferrant chuckled, “I enjoyed it”.

After her lawyer stint had run its course, she opened up her own small business. However her endeavor didn’t last long, because her husband was in danger of losing his job and Ferrant knew that her young project was not turning enough of a profit to support her whole family.

“I needed something more sustainable” Ferrant recalled, “and there was a strong need for science teachers in the Philadelphia School District, so I went back and got my masters in education”.

Ms. Ferrant went back to La Salle where she took a night courses to earn her degree. Funny enough, another North Penn teacher was in the same classes as her, however he was working on his bachelor’s degree in education.

“Yes, Mr. Manero was in my classes.” Ferrant laughed, “He was on the baseball team and his sports schedule often interfered with his regular class schedule, so our professor allowed him to attend some of our master’s classes to earn the same credit. We are still buddies, I popped into his room the other day and we had a funny conversation.”

After she received her degree Ferrant immediately got a job as a science teacher in the Philadelphia School District. Only a few years into her stint in Philadelphia though did Ferrant realize that she needed a change.

“I loved teaching in Philadelphia, that is where I lived and where I still live today.” she said, “But there wasn’t a lot of money in the district and for the little money that there was, I didn’t like the way it was being used.”

In 2005 she left the Philadelphia School District and interviewed with North Penn and got job as a science teacher, and has been here ever since. She advises three clubs at the high school: the Energy Troopers, ADAPT (Academic Discussion and Peer Tutoring), and the Lab Aids in C-pod. Obviously all of these clubs require a lot of time and attention, so Ms. Ferrant is after school in her room, C117, almost every day.

“When I have time to be at home, I do have hobbies,” Ferrant laughed. “I enjoy gardening and watching movies. I’m actually a big movie buff.” Obviously Ferrant’s masters in plant pathology indicate she does know quite a few things about plants, so her garden is something worth mentioning. “I grow all kinds of different things from fruit to vegetables to flowers. I’m really into self sustainability. I like to compost and re-use as fertilizer where everything goes back into the Earth,” Ferrant said.

Clearly Ms. Ferrant has had quite a few experiences throughout her life, in many different career fields. However she does seem to enjoy education the best.

“My favorite part about teaching would have to be watching a student understand something for the first time. When they really get it, it’s different with everyone.” Ferrant said. “The difference in years is also so interesting. For example sophomores are just younger and more naive compared to the seniors, who have been through almost all of North Penn already and are ready to graduate.”

Ferrant loves teaching different grades and subjects and watching each student develop on their own through the varying processes of learning.

From Philadelphia to Idaho, from Boise to Villanova, from law firms to night classes, from the Philadelphia School District to North Penn, Ms. Ferrant has had a terrific journey thus far. And she continues to keep a busy schedule with her class load as well as her involvement in North Penn activities. The admiration and respect that she has earned from her students as one of the hardest teachers in North Penn, but also one that will teach you the most, Ms. Ferrant has established herself as one of the best teachers in the high school. Clearly her story has been very detailed thus far, and it is nowhere near an ending.