Anita Petersen's Biography

Anita Petersen

A wise man (or was it a woman?) once said "find a job you love to do and you will never work a day in your life." That being said, Anita Petersen has yet to work a day in her life. She feels blessed to be in the field of education and to be surrounded with young minds every day of her life.

Anita has been a teacher since she was ten. Her first classroom was held in her parents' garage and her first students (all six of the neighborhood children) were invited to attend where, together, they read books and wrote papers. It was there, she thinks, that she first fell in love with teaching. Now, a mere 45 years later, she is still fascinated by the joy she receives from her students, now attending in a college classroom, as they continue to read books and write papers together.

Anita earned her B.S. degree in English education from Southern Illinois University in 1972 and her M.S. degree in Reading from Northern Illinois University in 1977. While teaching in a small, rural high school in northern Illinois, she found herself longing for the peaceful hills and quiet lakes of southern Illinois. She found a professional home at Carbondale High School for twenty years, and then joined Logan's team on a full time basis in 1997. She loves being part of such a fine college and being able to teach books and essays to students who are eager to learn. And her favorite book? To Kill a Mockingbird, of course!

Anita has two daughters both of whom she is incredibly proud - Jillian, a store administrator for Alltel, and Emily, a senior in Math education at Southern Illinois University.