Bob Peterson

Bob Peterson is a teacher, writer, and organizer. He grew up in Madison, WI and lived two years in Cairo, Egypt as a teenager. In high school he was involved in the anti-(Vietnam) War movement, the civil and students rights movements. He raised money for Fannie Lou Hamer’s Freedom Farm Co-op and organized the Wisconsin Student Union. He was active in the Wisconsin Alliance for many years. He co-chaired People United for Integration and Bilingual Education during the school desegregation struggle in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS).

He started working as a para professional for MPS in 1977 and then taught fifth grade for nearly 30 years. He was a founding editor of Rethinking Schools and a co-founder of La Escuela Fratney, Wisconsin’s first two way bilingual school. He has co-edited several books including Rethinking Columbus and Teacher Unions and Social Justice. He is a former President of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association and currently serves as the citywide representative on the Milwaukee School Board and as Board President. He was the Wisconsin Elementary Teacher of the year in 1995.