From Australia to West Africa, Dr. Peter Steedman’s career in education has led him around the world, and now he’s settling in as Wareham Middle School’s new principal.

He officially started July 1, having returned to his Falmouth home after a two-year stint as the upper school principal at Escola Americana de Campinas, located in Campinas, Brazil.

“I left with twenty bags, three kids and my wife in tow,” said Steedman.

He takes over from Dan Minkle, who retired in June after serving as Wareham Middle School principal for three decades.

Steedman, a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, said he moved his family to Brazil because his own father provided him with a similar international experience as a child.

“When I was in fourth grade, he took me and my family to Senegal in West Africa, and it was a really powerful experience for me,” said Steedman. “I wanted to open my children’s eyes to the world.”

Steedman and his wife have three daughters, one 14-year-old and 11-year-old twins. The couple has owned a house in Falmouth for the last 10 years.

Steedman said he knew he wanted to pursue a career in education from an early age. When he returned from Africa he said it was hard for him to re-adjust, but his middle school teachers inspired him.

“I struggled mightily in middle school. I didn’t know how to study. After spending two years in Africa I was out of it socially, but I had some key players in middle and high school,” he said. “They became my champions, and I wanted to be like them.”

In college, he put his name on a list for students interested in teaching abroad. To his surprise, he was called and asked to teach Australia.

He worked at a boarding school there, which led to another opportunity to teach in The Hague,. In the Netherlands, he became chair of the history department and eventually dean of students.

For Wareham Middle School, Steedman said he’s had talks with grade seven teachers about launching a new humanities academy to better prepare students for high school and beyond.

“We want to create an opportunity for kids to look at the world through an interdisciplinary lens, it’s not just about English, or just mathematics or just engineering,” he said. “We can expect our kids to have two or three different careers, not jobs, in their lifetimes and we want to prepare them for that.”

Steedman said he’s experienced a warm welcome from fellow administrators and staff since starting. He’s looking forward to when the students return.

“I felt extremely fortunate when the opportunity presented itself to live at home and be connected to Wareham,” he said. “There’s a great vibe in the school already.”