John is thrilled to begin his second year at Midland. He loves being part of a learning community whose daily practice explores and hones an awareness of interconnection—between one another, the land underfoot, and the world at large. He is excited to continue honing a fresh and exciting curriculum, to weave new webs of relationships, to graze the farm, and to slow down time by rooting in place.

As a teacher and fiction writer, he works towards cultivating (for himself and students alike) the imagination and boldness to conceive of the world and lives they want to create, and the agency to make it happen. He loves finding creative ways to nourish fully participatory classrooms, filled with joy and rigor, geared towards the twinned goals of ecological sustainability and social justice. And, as a runner, Californian, and mammal, he is very excited to reside within his home biome of rugged chaparral, oak savanna, and a neighborly sea.

John’s favorite spot on Midland’s campus is anywhere he can hear the coyotes howling, and his favorite Midland garden food is peaches, as well as the occasional pepper that isn’t too spicy. His current work-in-progress is re-establishing his fiction writing practice here at Midland, so naturally on a Sunday morning or afternoon, you can find him working on his next masterpiece, or catching up on The New York Times or the current issue of The Atlantic. He describes himself as compassionate, ebullient, and awestruck, and his personal motto is: Can I eat that if you’re not finishing it?