John's degrees include a BS in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University, a Master of Education degree in Secondary Education from the University of Houston, a Master of Liberal Arts degree from St. Edwards University. He also has completed 36 hours of graduate study in the field of Physics. John worked as an engineer and engineering manager for 14 years from 1982 to 1999, with a break for graduate study and teaching appointments.

John entered the field of education in 1985 teaching math in the public school system. Since then he has also taught science and math professionally in Episcopal schools and classical-model Christian high schools. He taught math and 20th Century American Literature part-time at St. Edwards University for 10 years and mathematics at Concordia University. He taught full-time at Regents School of Austin from 1999-2012, serving as Math-Science Department Chair for eight years, and he continues to teach at Regents on a part-time basis serving as the Director of the Laser Optics Lab. John is the author of six textbooks and many resources including The Student Lab Report Handbook, Teaching Science so that Students Learn Science, and Science for Every Teacher.

He has three adult children and lives with his wife in Seguin, Texas.