Andrew Verdon

For the past three years I have been employed at Chileda in La Crosse, WI. I started out as a DSP working directly with the students in different classrooms. After a few months I was recommended by our education manager to apply for the Teacher Assistant position. I was in that job for two months when our education manager said I should apply for the special education teacher position after one of their teachers retired in the summer of 2021. I completed a special education licensing program to earn my license to teach Special ed, and I finally received my license this past July. I love working with the kiddos, and believe in building that rapport early on so they can trust me to the point where I was able to work on specific skills with them. I am certified in CPI as well as first aid and fire safety. Teaching my students emotional regulation and skills that they will need going forward has been my greatest joy and I have worked with a wide range of ages. When I started out I was teaching kids ages 6-10, and I currently have all boys in my classroom ranging from ages 15-18 years old. I would say patience is my biggest skill that Chileda and its clients have taught me. Before working there I wouldn't have the patience to deal with any sort of behaviors, but after three years I now have the skills and tools to help me work with that student throughout their behavior episodes. I love those kids and I want to be able to work more in early autism intervention, helping set up these kids for success as they progress.