Rebecka Peterson, the 2023 National Teacher of the Year, will be delivering a keynote presentation on July 30 during the UW–Madison School of Education’s 2024 Early Career Teaching Institute.
Peterson is a math teacher in her 16th year as an educator. Since 2012, she has worked at Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Peterson’s message will highlight stories of the good that is happening across education, and she believes that when “we learn each other’s stories, we carry a piece of each other with us” — helping to authentically advocate for students, teachers, and their communities.
Peterson, who is an immigrant of Iranian-Swedish descent, was in the midst of a challenging first year of teaching when she joined other educators in a daily practice of noting “one good thing” in her classroom. Peterson says they lived by the motto: “Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day.”
Peterson notes that this habit transformed her work — and she now collaborates with fellow educators, emphasizing “the importance of cultivating intentional joy as a means to sustain oneself in the difficult but beautiful profession of teaching.”
Peterson was selected as the 2023 National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers.
The third annual Early Career Teaching Institute (ECTI) runs July 29 to Aug. 1 on the UW–Madison campus. ECTI is part of the School of Education’s ongoing efforts to support educators — and for its alumni, that extends well beyond students’ time at UW–Madison.
ECTI is a professional development opportunity that’s specifically for alumni with at least one year of teaching experience. Participants in the multi-day program engage with educators in similar roles and subject areas, take part in enriching group learning experiences, and take time to connect or reconnect with faculty, staff, and fellow alumni through meals and social events. Each year, participants have also been able to hear from and learn with nationally renowned keynote speakers.
The institute provides a $500 stipend and also pays for room expenses up to three nights so that all of the early career teachers can easily return to UW–Madison to take part in this special event.
A report released in April by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction found that a “significant issue that needs to be addressed is the retention of new teachers.” Opportunities like ECTI are vital because research shows when beginning teachers are well-supported through strong coaching and mentorship opportunities — and are connected to robust professional communities for young teachers — they stay in the profession longer.
ECTI is hosted by the School of Education’s Mary T. Kellner Teacher Education Center and office of Professional Learning and Community Education (PLACE).
Note: This event is made possible by the generosity of Mary T. and Ted D. Kellner and Propel. The cooperating teacher component of this year’s event is made possible by the generosity of Christine L. Lodewick and Philip H. Lodewick. The math education strand of this year’s event is made possible by the Peggy Porter Glick Fund.
Registration for this year’s program is closed, but plans are already underway for next summer.