Stephen Zedler

Background

About Stephen Zedler

I have worked in education for almost 20 years as a classroom teacher, outside the classroom helping improve the effectiveness of reading instruction through evidence-based methods, as a high school administrator, and now as co-founder and development director for The Pearl Project, a non-profit that educates and trains caregivers in trauma-wise methods of care. At The Pearl Project, we believe that for children to grow to their full potential, they have to know the security and safety of an attached, attuned relationship. Only then can they feel free to explore the world around them, take risks, and learn what they need to know to thrive in the world. We also know that these attuned relationships with a trusted caregiver can give them a chance to heal from past hurts that may have kept them from developing healthy regulation and relational skills. We seek to teach caregivers, including parents, foster and adoptive parents, kinship caregivers, teachers, ministers, and anyone else who works with children how to be that healing force in a child's life. We also offer support programs so that caregivers can build their own capacity for peace and joy. A caregiver cannot lead a child to a place of healing that they have not experienced themselves. We primarily train in Trust-Based Relational Intervention - TBRI®. As a classroom teacher, my experience has ranged from traditional private schools to alternative and non-traditional schools. I have taught various ages, from high school seniors to 4th graders, and subjects from AP U.S. history, U.S. government, and introduction to philosophy to poetry, art appreciation and nature study. My teaching style is relational and discussion-centered. While the communication of information is necessary and important, real learning happens when ideas are engaged, and one of the best forums for this type of engagement is open discussion of those ideas. I continually read about educational philosophy, history, theology and popular culture. My wife, Joy, and I have 5 children. I consider it a wonder that either of us ever have time to think, much less read. We currently live in Ocala, Florida.