Curtis
Peterson Story By:
STAFF WRITER
D
eciding a career path can be difficult for many people, but Curtis Peterson’s pathway became apparent to him at an early age. Growing up with a mother as an educator in the public school system and a father who was a professor in the College of Education at Florida A&M University, Peterson was naturally led down the road to become an educator. Before beginning his career in education, Peterson served in the Marines for three years as an Infantry Mortarman. He was inspired to join the military by his family members who had served before him and chose the Marines since it was stated to be the most difficult to complete. Nonetheless, he believed it to be the best branch of the United States Armed Forces and still believes this to this day. Though he enjoyed his time in the Marines, he has always valued his academics and his appreciation for the education system propelled him to go to college and earn his degree so he could become an educator himself. Peterson returned to
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SYNERGY MAGAZINE
Florida and attended Florida A&M University, where he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. After graduating and before becoming principal of Caring and Sharing Learning School, he spent most of his career teaching in public schools in various counties in Florida until he became principal of a public school in Atlanta, GA. In 1998, his parents decided to open their predominantly Black charter school in Gainesville, FL. The school was able to thrive under his parents’ wings for about a decade before they began to notice that the world of education was shifting from simply educating our youth to navigating the red tape that surrounds state mandated educational ideals. Because of this shift, Peterson’s parents called upon him for help. They recognized that he had learned how to navigate this red tape as a public school principal; his experience would help their charter school continue to succeed and compete with the surrounding schools. In 2008, they turned Caring & Sharing Learning School over to their son and he was able to continue and reimagine their dream by
