Teacher Silvija helps students find their voice
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Silvija Petraitaite, an economics and entrepreneurship teacher at Šilutė First Gymnasium in Lithuania, believes her greatest successes come when students overcome personal challenges to share their ideas.
She grew up in the small village of Alkos as the youngest of six children, earning a master’s degree in economics before returning to her hometown, a return she hadn’t initially planned. Silvija now values the close-knit community of Šilutė and finds fulfillment in helping students develop skills beyond grades and test scores.
Silvija intentionally chose teaching as a career after a job interview that focused on creating opportunities for students. She has worked with “Lietuvos Junior Achievement” (LJA) to help students create and run student companies, which have won awards for financial literacy and innovative ideas like vertical take-off drones and lip balm. While she appreciates the recognition, Silvija focuses on the students' personal growth, such as a previously shy student who gained the confidence to speak in public.
She measures her success by seeing students as individuals with dreams and fears, not just as students defined by their performance. Silvija also prioritizes building strong relationships with her colleagues and students, believing that a supportive environment is essential for learning and growth.
She finds meaning in knowing she may have played a small part in guiding her former students toward their chosen paths, and still recognizes the little girl from Alkos within herself, a girl who now knows dreaming is worthwhile.
