Catherine Peterson

Catherine Peterson is a Lecturer in the Master in Teaching Program at The Evergreen State College. As both an alumna of Evergreen (B.S., 2012) and a graduate of the University of Puget Sound (M.A., Teaching, 2013), she combines her academic background with over 13 years of secondary science teaching experience in Title 1 public schools across grades 6–12.

• Education: M.A., Teaching (University of Puget Sound, 2013); B.S. (Evergreen State College, 2012)

Her teaching philosophy emphasizes inclusive, student-centered practices that prioritize inquiry-based learning, identity development, and intersectional justice-focused education. She specializes in designing phenomena-driven science curricula connected to students’ local environments and cultures, with a focus on accessibility for multilingual learners through language-rich instructional strategies.

At Evergreen, Peterson co-teaches sheltered multilingual learner inclusion science classes and leads district-level professional development workshops for K–12 educators on curriculum design, instructional techniques, and inclusive pedagogy. Her work bridges K–12 classroom practice with graduate teacher education, ensuring new educators are equipped to honor diverse student identities.

She actively contributes to the Master in Teaching program’s offerings, including the ML Integrated Pathway and Community Teaching Pathway, across multiple academic years (2022–2025). Her efforts aim to create collaborative, community-rooted educational experiences.