Intern Kristi: “Each person is responsible for their own learning!”
14. March 2023
In January, intern Kristi Kivipuur joined the SOL family, who came to us for ten weeks through the internship program for education managers. Kristi works as a headmistress at Viigi School. During her internship at SOL, she wants to learn team management and motivation skills, new recruitment methods and much more. We asked Kristi to introduce herself and her activities in more detail.
What kind of school is Viigi School?
Haapsalu Viigi School is a state school for students with special needs that was founded in 1960 to provide children with treatment after the polio epidemic that hit Estonia in the late 1950s. The name of the school back then was Haapsalu Sanatorium Boarding School. According to its statute, Viigi School is a school with the highest level of competence and the most suitable physical learning environment for students with physical disabilities, multiple disabilities and intellectual disabilities.
What is your background as a school headmistress?
I started working as the headmistress at Viigi School in 2017. Before that, I was an education advisor for the municipality for a short time. Working as an official did not suit me. I wanted to go back to school, because the bright eyes of students growing together give me a lot of energy.
For some reason, life has brought me to students with special needs. For me, all children are equal and should be treated as such. I started working at Palivere Special Boarding School when I was young. When I started working as an educator and graduated from university, I was already giving lessons at the school.
Then, when the head teacher left unexpectedly, I became their replacement. Even more unexpectedly, later in the same year, I suddenly became the school’s headmistress. I admit, I was not born to be a leader. Life has taught me to cope with difficulties and different situations. I’m an over-thinker, but that has come in handy in certain situations. I have been cautious because when you work with people, you never really know how situations will turn out. I’m also a big worrier, but despite that I’ve achieved what I want so far.
What does the position of headmistress mean to you?
The headmistress is a leader and a guide who is there for everyone in the school – students, teachers, employees, parents and the community. Of course, I want changes to happen quickly, but a wise person does not rush – you have to be calm and smart about it, that’s what life has taught me.
In order to keep up with the times, I had the opportunity to participate in the Internship Programme for Educational Leaders. Here I am, full of motivation to be a part of every little activity in SOL. I feel like I’m in the right place and you are my people. I already know right now what I will take with me to my school to make things there run smoother. And not only for the development of the school – the freedom, responsibility and values I learnt at SOL are the basis for my everyday work.
Why did you decide to participate in the internship program?
I like being an equal member in a team. I feel safe in an environment where the framework and rules are in place. I care about my employees and I want them to be happy and satisfied while doing their work. I want to learn from private sector managers how to better coordinate team work, how to motivate the team and involve them in innovations, to inspire them in the implementation of important development activities. I would like to learn more about HR work and recruitment in the private sector. In addition, I would like to get practical experience on how to deal with different interest groups more confidently.
In my activities, I am guided by the motto “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Based on this, I also try to get my team to work in a purposeful manner. For me, educational work is a process where all parties must have the opportunity to develop and have a say. It is important that learning and teaching become an interesting and pleasant experience for both parties involved. The school has to be creative and work with many different interest groups to make that happen. To achieve all this, I consider it important to have a united team.
What does a headmistress have to learn from the private sector?
We are all selling our COMPANY! 😊 We are all business cards of our school! I want to take this motto into my school as well.
Starting from the beginning, the SOL IN onboarding program in December – Leadership and Values Days – was the most comprehensive and meaningful for me. It made clear to me that I am welcome and that I will be accepted into the team with confidence.
I was surprised by the flexibility, freedom and responsibility in SOL, while doing the work. Everyone knows their own field of work and considers it important to work together, involving other people and staying involved themselves.
Meeting people from different fields, I dare to say that they all do their work with full dedication. The head of each field is an expert and everyone is very closely linked in cooperation. Cooperation also takes place between managers in the whole Baltic region in order to implement the common goals of the enterprise.
I consider open communication very important in my work and I once again learnt that the way you treat others is how they treat you. Over the years, I understand how important it is to be conscious of how you spend your time. To be present here and now, to commit and make the most of it.
What skills do you want to develop during the program?
I wish that every person were responsible for their own learning!
When I entered the program, I had very specific goals, which I listed above. I’ve already received much more. I didn’t expect that. I’ve written down small details that spoke to me while I’ve been here. It’s likely that you would consider them natural and don’t even notice them.
What are your impressions of the SOL Baltics company so far?
Super! I sincerely thank everyone who has led me to this journey at SOL Baltics.
Honestly, in the first few weeks a lot of it seemed overwhelming – meetings with people from different fields. Then I realised that as a school headmistress, I do those same jobs myself or with the help of the deputy headmistress. While talking with my mentor Katre, I realised that some tasks can be delegated. That’s what I came here to learn.
I realised that when it comes to making changes or implementing changes, you can’t do it all alone. It is important to involve team members from the start so that everyone is aware of who is doing what and why. They are the carriers of ideas.