Peter Nilsson

I love learning, I love teaching, and I love creating opportunities and structures for other people to learn and teach.

I taught at Deerfield Academy for fifteen years, where I also served in a variety of administrative roles, and I later served as Head of School at King's Academy in Jordan. I'm now vice chair of the board of trustees at the Canterbury School of Fort Wayne.

Today I work with schools and organizations around the world on AI. With Maya Bialik, I co-wrote Irreplaceable: How AI Changes Everything (and Nothing) in Teaching and Learning (Solution Tree, 2026). I curate the Educator's Notebook, a weekly newsletter, and I founded Athena, a platform for educator collaboration.

I serve on the advisory boards for the Center for Curriculum Redesign and SXSW EDU, and on the advisory team for the Middle States Association's Responsible AI in Learning endorsement.

I'm also a composer, and I'm developing Schooled, an original musical about early adulthood amidst the culture wars.

Other projects

Schooled

An original musical about early adulthood amidst the culture wars. →

Distant Reading

An award-winning introduction to the digital humanities. →

Planning Process Illustrated

Teachers illustrate how they plan, showing the many ways to approach the work of teaching. →

Athena Lab

A global department office where teachers find, create, and share teaching ideas and resources. →

Exercises for the Recovery of Childhood

Andy Stallings's prompts for reconnecting with childlike wonder and curiosity. →

I'd be glad to hear from you.

Contact me