Mrs. Kyndal Fadler is one of Notre Dame’s newest faculty members. The Jackson, Missouri native and Southeast Missouri alumna just began her first year of teaching as a civics teacher for ND’s freshmen. 

Fadler says that for the most part, she always knew she wanted to end up working where she was brought up. 

“I think I had that standard [where] everybody wants to get out for a little bit,” Fadler said. “But when I hit college and met my husband, we both really wanted to stay in this area.”

In a funny coincidence, Fadler actually shared mutual friends with her husband all throughout her teenage years, but didn’t officially meet him until being set up on a blind date after her graduation from Jackson High School.

For Fadler, who graduated from SEMO last May, having a classroom of her own is a brand new experience. She says that past experiences with her own teachers were what inspired her to pursue teaching for her own career. 

“I had some really great teachers in high school,” says Fadler. “My favourite teacher in high school was my teacher for American History and Missouri History, and then I had her for Government. She just made it so much fun that I was like ‘this is what I want to do.’”

So far, Fadler has loved getting to know and teach the freshmen class in her favorite subject. Coming from a self-proclaimed ‘family of amateur history buffs,’ she says that she’s always had a love for history and learning about the past. As for the students, Fadler says that they’ve been the best part of teaching so far.

“To see them interact with each other and just overhearing some of their conversations—you always get a good chuckle every now and then,” Fadler said.

She says that the students have also taught her that things don’t always work out for every single person. Being able to think on the fly and change things up are skills pertinent to being a teacher, and Fadler is learning to roll with the punches.

Of all the challenges of being a new teacher, jumping into a new staff hasn’t proven to be one of them. She says the family environment at Notre Dame has helped her transition immensely. Her first day was filled with friendly faces stopping by her new classroom to check on her and answer any questions she might have had.

“I’ve never felt so welcomed anywhere,” Fadler said. “It’s a very good place to be.”

By: Mia Timlin ’22