Cassidy McGowan has been a member of the NDA staff for nine years out of his 16 years teaching. But what is his role here at Notre Dame Academy and why and how did he decide to make teaching his career?

Born in Milwaukee, McGowan moved to Indiana at the age of nine.

He returned to Wisconsin when he decided to attend Marquette University, like many in his family before him did, including his father, aunt and uncle. There he met his wife in 2002 during his freshman year.

After earning his bachelor’s degree from Marquette, he moved to Washington, D.C. where he enrolled into grad school to pursue a Masters in Special Education at Catholic University of America.  Simultaneously, while attending classes in the evening,  McGowan taught fifth grade at a school for exceptional needs students.

He and his wife lived in D.C from 2006-2009, where he finished taking classes and teaching while his wife began her work as a patent examiner.

After three years in D.C. McGowan and his wife moved back to Wisconsin for good. They now have two sons and one  daughter and are the guardians of a cognitively disabled adult named Demitrius, a former student of McGowan. 

The NDA teacher has worked in Special Education for a while now, but this did not come naturally to him. In 3rd grade he witnessed a student with special needs being picked on at recess. Prior to this experience, he was not particularly mean to students with special needs, but he wasn’t overly nice either. As he explained, he kind of ignored them and cast them aside. 

But, when he saw that student being bullied, something switched and a light went on inside of him. He knew it was a segment of the population he wanted to advocate for and help. 

“I want to help people and students with disabilities navigate the world because it is such a chaotic world at times,” said McGowan.

He continues to help students who have been diagnosed with learning differences by providing them with all kinds of help, not only getting academic work done but also supporting their mental health. In fact, his favorite thing about teaching is seeing students he has helped graduate.

Still, every teacher has their struggles. Whenever McGowan gets overwhelmed, he takes a deep breath, does some visualization and self-talk and goes for a walk. He also shared that since being in the Special Ed field he has become more patient and tries to avoid distractions.

“It’s good to feel the highs and lows in life. That’s when you learn the most about yourself and can apply this to others,” he said.

In his spare time, McGowan is an avid reader and is involved–despite having dyslexia–in several book clubs. He also helps coach the cross country program here at NDA and has competed in The Boston Marathon Race every year since 2019.

Despite a recent medical scare he is hoping to run the Boston race again in the spring.

McGowan remains grateful for the life God has given him and said he plans to be at NDA for many years to come.