Ieva Zake

Twenty-six years old Ieva Zake works as Internet project manager for one of the biggest retail companies in Latvia. She says that the leadership skills and “can-do” approach that she acquired during the Step by Step (SbS) program helped her to achieve what she has now. We talked with Ieva about her experience with the program. 

Ieva, how different was your SbS school from the others?
In my school, two out of the three first years classes followed the Step by Step program, and I was in one of them, from the first until the fourth grade. My class was different mainly because we did not have a fixed schedule. Every day we would have several lessons, that would rotate from one center to another. As far as I remember, we had Science, Math, Nature Science, Latvian and English languages. The places were limited for each lesson so we were always negotiating between ourselves who would take this or that class. I remember that learning languages was the most interesting for me and I was not that happy with mathematics. We could choose what we wanted to study first which gave us a feeling of control over the situation and also more freedom. I never felt the 45 minutes class as boring, on the contrary: the whole day was exciting.

How was the interaction with the teachers?
Our teachers were always close to us in a personal way. Every day we would talk not only about the topics that were connected to their subjects, but we also discussed regular life situations. For us – children – this was very important and interesting. Later, after the fourth grade, when I started my studies in a “regular” class, I felt the difference right away. The teachers were just giving the lesson and did not care that much about what was going on with us behind the school walls. It was also important that the program aimed at working with our parents as well.

How did the SbS program contribute to your growth?
I would say that the program helped me to be more confident and more creative. Because I had to choose my own classes in such an early age, it helped me to be more sure about my choices later in life. Besides, the program awarded me with good friends: I am still in touch on a regular basis with some people from my primary school. As kids we enjoyed the good times together and we stayed friends when we grew up. When we gather together, we often remember a little toy mouse that each of us had to take home, in turns, and take care of it. What has happened to that mouse? It would be nice to see it again. 

How did the program influence your future? 
Studying within the Step by Step program gave me the leadership skills and “can-do” approach that helped me later in my life. The program taught me the basics of team work which became a very important knowledge for my adult life. Having worked in a PR agency before and with social media and Internet now, I realize that the Step by Step program set me up on a path of creativity. I just wish that the program was more popular, and I really would like my children to be able to attend a SbS school. I would like them to go to school with joy. Because this is what matters in the end.