John earned an MFA in Creative Writing, with a concentration in poetry at Long Island University, Brooklyn, and specializes in research methods and strategies, rhetoric, academic writing, creative writing, technical writing, Native-American Literature, African-American Literature, the New York School, and Black Mountain College. He prefers classroom dynamics that allow students to become active participants in discussion. As a teacher, he operates on the premise that students should not have to sacrifice their personal and cultural identities in order to receive an outstanding education. Rather, such identities are integral to establishing meaningful connections to new texts and ideas.