I arrived at Sterling College in the autumn of 1983 as a student. I returned in the fall of 1994 as an admissions counselor – since then I have held the following titles – Director of Admissions (six years) Dean of Students (six years) Faculty in Outdoor Education (current). My personal philosophy about teaching at Sterling College hinges on the following: There is no hiding at Sterling College. Our small size makes it imperative that I commit 100% to my teaching responsibilities. I must be upfront and transparent with my goals and direction. I also find that Sterling students are not content with merely discussing a theory—we must find applications to put the theory to work and that includes time to process and find meaning for our experience. This means that Sterling’s motto—Working Hands, Working Minds— determines that learning is not limited to the classroom, and in order for education to be meaningful, we must find real world experiences to enhance our intellectual growth. My personal motto has become Keep It Real. I am always seeking out real world experiences to enhance the classroom experience. Some of these experiences include service work on the hiking trails in Vermont’s Green Mountains, visits to Vermont State Prisons, discussions with migrant farm workers, designing curriculum for educational and non-profit organizations, or touring the back roads of northern Vermont by bicycle.

Profile

Award	Institution
AA, Resource Management	Sterling College
BA, Human Services	Burlington College
MA, Experiential Education and Implications for Public School Reform	Vermont College of Norwich University

Presentations
2002 National Association of College and Admissions Counselors.
Work Colleges - A Working Solution To Reduce College Costs, 2001.
National Association of College and Admissions Counselors.
An Introduction to Environmental Colleges, 1997.
The Lamoille Valley Partnership: Tools and Techniques to Introduce Resiliency Theory, 1996.
Governor's Prevention Conference: Self-Esteem and Team-Building Techniques to Foster Cooperation and Effective Learning, 1994.
Pennsylvania Partners Work Learning Symposium Implementation of Service Learning with an Emphasis on Small Groups and Effective Staff Development, 1990.
National Association of Service and Conservation Corps – Implementing Education and Basic Skills Remediation Introduction to WoRD – A constructive approach to encouraging the processes of writing, reading, and discussion in small group settings, 1990.
Association of Experiential Education – Northeast Regional Conference Introduction to WoRD - A constructive approach to encouraging the processes of writing, reading, and discussion in small group settings.

Publications

Three Books You Recommend?

• Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Our Hope for the Future
• The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science
• Tatoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion

John's Recent Blog Posts

Thoughts On Experiential Curriculum Design

Posted February 5, 2016 by John Zaber read more

Education and Culture – John Zaber ’85

Posted December 15, 2014 by John Zaber read more