I have been an educator for over 40 years, and now an author. After graduating from Washington State University (“Go Cougs!”), in counseling, I worked as a therapist for six years. During that time, while working with school-aged children, I discovered my passion for working with children, for schools, and for teaching. 
For 23 years I worked in Seattle Public Schools in various capacities, from teacher, to Special Education Administrator, to assistant principal, to elementary school principal. I was later hired as a principal in Shoreline Schools, as an elementary school principal and developed an alternative middle school option for the district. During my last year in Shoreline, I was selected by the State of Washington School Principals’ Association as the outstanding principal for the North and West King County region (Shoreline, Northshore, Bellevue, Lake Washington, and Mercer Island School Districts) and finalist for “principal of the year” in our state.
After retiring from being a principal, I spent seven years supervising student teachers through Seattle Pacific University and teaching ProTeach courses at Seattle University for teachers and principals. In addition, for four years I was a consultant for the School Improvement Program of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, providing assistance to struggling schools.
Throughout my professional career, I have been an active volunteer. For ten years, I was the chair of Accent on Understanding, an international teacher exchange organization. Later, I joined the board of the Seattle-Tashkent Sister City Association. For thirteen years, I was either the president, co-president, or vice president of the organization. These experiences provided contact with educators, officials, and students from many countries.
Recently, I became an author. The past three years I focused on researching and writing a book comparing American education with other countries, especially Canada, Finland, Japan, and South Korea. My wife and I hosted over thirty students and educators from many countries. Conversations with our guests stoked my curiosity about international comparisons. Hence, the book.
I love schools, I love teachers, and I love children. My passion is helping others. A book is an extension of that passion to help make schools the best they can be for our collective children.
Dan
Email: dlpeterso@aol.com
(Note: As a avid backpacker all my life, I have taken hundreds of photos throughout the Pacific Northwest, some of which I incorporated into this website. The “home” page photo is of Glacier Peak, in the North Cascades, from Image Lake. The “contact” photo is of Goat Lake in the Henry Jackson Wilderness.)