UW–Madison program builds community, confidence among early career teachers

It can be both rewarding, and overwhelming, to be a teacher.

Ania Kotecki (MS’21) feels that balance first-hand as a Multilingual Language Learning teacher at Frank Lloyd Wright Intermediate School in West Allis. As an early career teacher, she understands how valuable the first few years on the job can be when it comes to retention rates. That’s what drew her to the Early Career Teaching Institute (ECTI), and why she’s returned to the program for the past few years.

The UW–Madison School of Education invites alumni of its teacher preparation programs back to Madison every summer to take part in ECTI. The four-day institute provides professional development opportunities and supports teachers through their first five years in the classroom.

ECTI participants learn a range of new skills, hear from nationally renowned keynote speakers, and build important relationships with faculty, staff, and fellow alumni so they can thrive in the teaching profession.

Thanks to the program, Kotecki has found not only a supportive place to learn new skills but also comradery with her fellow teachers.

“I feel like ECTI was something vital to create sustainability for me in the teaching profession,” she says.

Registration is open now for this summer’s gathering, which will take place in late July.

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UW–Madison program builds community, confidence among early career teachers

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