Christopher Arbor Email & Phone Number

During my thirteen years at Asheville, I’ve been the team leader for our sophomore-level interdisciplinary humanities program, World Studies, which dives deep into some of the world’s most influential cultures, digging not only into their literature and history but also their art, architecture, music, religion, cuisine, and more. During my time, I’ve pushed the envelope with experiential education: incorporating project and inquiry-based learning, prioritizing belonging and socio-emotional intelligence, and—perhaps most importantly—bolstering joy and awe. When not in the classroom, I’ve spent my time teaching kayak rolls in our pool, leading wilderness expeditions, and tending to our two-hundred acres of woods. Before teaching at Asheville School, I taught for six years at The Outdoor Academy, a semester school down in Brevard, where I taught a place-based literature course and several math classes, again with an emphasis on experiential education. As often as possible, classes were outside. Where better to read nature writing than out in nature? Much of my philosophy of education is captured in the quote John Bowlby wrote: “Life is best organized as a series of daring ventures from a secure base.” The same should be said of learning. While education fads have come and gone, the two-part truth of that quotation continues to resound through the decades. Scholars need both secure belonging and dynamic adventure. They need roots, and they need wings.