Margaret Petersen, M.Ed . 208 East Angela Blvd. South Bend, IN 46617 margaret@sophiagroup.net 574-282-2872

Margaret Petersen is a retired elementary education teacher with a specialty in Remedial

Reading Education. Earning her Masters from Depaul Univeristy in Chicago, she started her teaching career in an inner-city Chicago public school and she recently retired from a largley

rural public school in Michigan. Her proudest accomplishment is having taught hundreds of children to read, although her colleagues know her best for being adept at winning the cooperation of the most discouraged children in the school.

 

In the early 1970's, Margaret was the founding lead teacher and an administrator for Saint Mary's College lab preschool, now the Early Childhood Development Center of Saint Mary's and Notre Dame. She and her husband were instrumental in firmly establishing the school's educational philosophy in Adlerian psychology, and they trained the teachers and future administrators in Adlerian educational methods. Over thirty years later, the school remains committed to the Adlerian method.

 

Today, Margaret is a parenting coach and a consultant to teachers in elementary education. She is also an organizing force behind Sophia Group's activities related to adult spiritual development, including weekly meditation groups and day-long meditation retreats.

	Parent Educator and Coach In the area of parent education, Margaret Petersen speaks with authority having taught courses for parents off and on for over 25 years. Raising her own four children, she relied on weekly Family Council meetings and is Sophia Group's resident expert on this practice, a practice that incorporates and gives foundation to all that Sophia Group's Family Enrichment Programs has to offer.
	Educational Consultant With over 30 years experience in elementary education Margaret is known for her teacher mentorship and effective classroom leadership techniques. Her methods are grounded in daily classroom meetings with her students, a practice she was faithful to through the unending administration changes and curriculum demands. She learned from experience that developing a learning community through classrooom meetings is essential for meaningful curriculum as well as the social and emotional development of the students.