In his 24 years as a general education teacher, substitute teacher and special education teacher, Jerry has taught everything from preschool early intervention to high school German, elementary strings to autistic support.
Jerry has been married to Candace for nearly thirty years and has two young adult sons, Zach and Nate.
Jerry recently accepted a job teaching students with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities in a middle school in the Inland Empire in California. He has taught in middle school and primary autism self contained programs (he created the primary program) in Las Vegas, Nevada, after two years as a teacher in a residential school in Pennsylvania. He has also worked with children with Specific Learning Disabilities in a resource room, co-taught in a full inclusion room and taught as a "push-in" learning support teacher. His first career was as an elementary teachers, his second was as an ordained ELCA Lutheran Pastor.
Jerry earned his bachelor's degree in elementary education at the University of Pittsburgh. He did graduate work at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, where he was certified as a reading specialist. Jerry's Masters of Education in Special Education was earned at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. He later earned a Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Autism from Penn State University. He continued at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) where he acquired the additional 12 credits he required to qualify for certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Jerry is certified in Elementary Education, Secondary Social Studies, Special Education and as a Reading Specialist, and has held teaching credentials in five states.
I really love what I do (teaching children with autism.) I'm also really dedicated to the profession. I find supporting new teachers and collaborating with master teachers not only benefits children with disabilities, it also strengthens my practice. I believe that Special Educators have a significant impact on the world when we help our students become productive, happy and fully engaged members of society.
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