With the second quarter of the school year in swing, Notre Dame Academy is being visited by sophomore students from St. Norbert College studying to become teachers.

These SNC Blockers, as they are called, get hands-on experience learning from teachers at Notre Dame.

Patrick Daniels, an SNC Blocker from Cedarburg, Wisconsin, says his high school was pretty similar to NDA, as they are both private Catholic schools.

“The big difference is that Marquette University HIgh School is an all-boys school,” Daniels shared, adding that his activities included basketball, football and baseball in high school.

He wants to become a middle or high school history teacher in the future, and shared that his favorite part of teaching is the variety each day brings.

“Teaching has always felt like my career path because every day is something different, and every year you have new students,” Daniels said. 

He shared that his middle school math teacher had the biggest impact on his chosen career.

“He was able to both be an engaging, fair teacher while also being the most fun and approachable teacher I’ve ever had, inspiring me to want to do the same.” 

Daniels has been working with Mrs. Campbell, whom he says has been very helpful.

“She’s been great, immediately taking me under her wing and answering any questions I have,” he shared. “I think her style of part-time lecture, part -time videos or worksheets is both an engaging way to learn as a student and also a more sustainable way of teaching than lecture all day, every day.”

Daniels says his favorite part of being at Notre Dame so far is working with students in study hall, as he is able to help them and gain teaching experience.

“It’s the time in my day that I have the opportunity to make the biggest impact on students and help them, while also allowing me to gain confidence and experience in teaching,” he shared.

Daniels says he chose to attend St. Norbert College because it met all of his criteria: it is a Catholic school in Wisconsin where he is able to play baseball.

The advice he would give to someone considering being  a block student is to “be open.”

“You have to know going in that there is no one way to teach,” Daniels said. “Some styles will work better for different students and different subjects, so being open to different ideas is very important.”