Third-grade teacher says education is a passion; Notre Dame like home to him.
Notre Dame third-grade teacher Bob Patterson, right, is with his wife, Kelly, a Notre Dame Prep alum and teacher in the school’s middle division.
He says he loves teaching at the school because of a true family atmosphere and its real devotion to the mission of developing Christian people, upright citizens and academic scholars. And he thinks the school is definitely on the right track.
What’s also important and a big deal for Patterson, who also serves the lower division as assistant principal, is how he relates to the students.
“As a teacher, I think it’s extremely important to form strong relationships with students and to be able to show that I care about them as people,” he says. “Relationships are built through trust and open communication, which happens throughout the day in little conversations, class lessons, and the unplanned ‘teachable moments’ that third graders so often encounter.” He also feels that strong relationships with parents and colleagues are important as well. “Parents and teachers working together to guide the students is critical to the kids’ success,” he adds.
He also thinks his style of teaching is derived from a real passion for helping others. For more on what Patterson said recently about Notre Dame, watch the short Q&A video below.
For more on Notre Dame's dedicated faculty and staff, click here.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.