Being an adolescent means expanding on all channels at once. For sixth, seventh and eighth graders, a swirl of chemical changes, skeletal growth spurts and a surge of cognitive brain development create challenging distractions and emotions. Acknowledging this reality and helping students handle it successfully are at the heart of Hyla’s Human Relations curriculum.

“Middle school kids are learning so much—intellectually, socially and emotionally—it can be unsettling to have so much going on,” says Kris Van Gieson, Hyla’s human relations teacher. “In that roiling mix, Human Relations gives our students handholds and perspective.”

The Human Relations curriculum is a comprehensive learning program aimed at raising self awareness, developing social skills, instilling confidence, and nurturing empathy for oneself and others. Based on the vision of Manvel Schauffler, founding head of Hyla’s board, the program is considered so valuable to a healthy middle school experience that it’s a significant part of students’ learning from sixth through eighth grade.

“Our main task is to help our students figure out who they are. We want them to know their strengths and challenges, and to be able to look at themselves honestly, with a healthy dose of appreciation,” says Kris. “When they’re comfortable with themselves and with each other, they’re more confident, focused, and better able to learn.”

Depending on the grade, students engage in team building exercises, personality surveys, sociological research and self-reflective projects. In addition, once a week, students gather for “Council,” an open-format discussion period, guided by Kris and Hyla drama teacher Joyce Mycka-Stettler, where students are free to talk about themes they find important. Based on traditional talking circles, Council follows protocols for respecting each other’s time to speak and also sets guidelines for confidentiality.
“Council is a time for slowing down and listening to one another,” says Joyce. “Life is pressured and intense and we adults have high expectations; sometimes there isn’t time to reflect or think problems through. Council allows that space and time.”

Trust and friendship

In sixth grade, Human Relations starts as a check in time, a chance to report how things are going with school transition and social dynamics. At regular intervals, students walk in to what Kris calls a “3-C Day,” where students write on cards their “comments, questions and concerns.” Kris pops some up on the board and the students engage in problem solving the concern.
“Sometimes a student will hear five or six ideas how others handled the same problem with a friend or an older sibling,” explained Kris. “Everyone helps find a solution.”

“Human Relations in sixth grade definitely made me feel more comfortable and open,” testifies Hyla eighth grader Lucas Weyand. “You learn about each other and also how to analyze when a problem can be changed. You pick apart problems and come back two weeks later and say, this is what we talked about and this is how I changed it.”

To foster trust and communication, Kris brings in team building games. In “The Paper Crossing,” students work together to get across the room by strategically placing a limited number of paper towels as stepping stones. While participating, they must be fully present, as if they’re “on the dance floor,” but also observing from a distance and reflecting on the group dynamics, as if “up on the balcony.”

For Hyla eighth grader Jemma Blazina, the experience opened windows of perspective. “We found out who would take the leader role, and who would stay quiet for a long time and then come out with a genius idea that worked,” says Jemma. “We got to know people very well and we learned how to look at ourselves.”

Courage and honesty

Once students are comfortable with each other they advance to learning about the eight character traits admired in all cultures: courage, justice, honesty, hope, love, loyalty, respect, and responsibility. Each trait is defined and examined through different lenses.

“We look at courage, for example, and talk about how you can have different kinds: emotional, social and physical,” explains Kris. “With emotional courage we might ask: If you’re angry at that person can you express that? Or social courage: If you see someone bullying another, do you have the courage to step in?”

Students each choose a trait and pose questions about it to three people in their lives. Then create a project that reveals what they’ve discovered.

“One of the biggest things I learned was there are different stages of love – from puppy love all the way to marriage,” says Jemma. “If you know this you can say, ‘Oh I’m in that stage.’ If you know even a tiny bit and can explain it to yourself, you feel better.”

Know thyself

In seventh grade the emphasis shifts to self awareness. Beginning with the “invisible” parts of a person, including soul, personality, thoughts, feelings, values, and beliefs, students answer questions such as: What is a soul? What’s its job? What does it do? Then they take the Meyers Briggs test, a tool that identifies personality traits. With this information, each student sets up a personal owner’s manual. They identify their personality parts, how to take care of them, how to fix them when broken, and any warning signs, such as ‘what really makes me mad.’

For many students, this phase of the curriculum is a foundational eye-opener. Hyla alum Lily Blazina, now a junior at Bainbridge High School, remembers taking the Meyers Briggs at Hyla and discovering she was an extrovert. This heightened awareness she has applied to high school, better navigating friendships and social situations.

“I use it every day—in my actions with people and especially working in a group,” says Lily. “I notice different personality traits and when someone in the group is quieter I tone down my energy so I can work with them in the best way. Human Relations definitely unlocked my people skills.”

Becoming wise

This self knowledge deepens in the eighth grade as Human Relations classes focus on wisdom.

“We start by asking, what is wisdom?,” explains Kris. This year, students came up with words like knowledge, understanding, respect for all people, and foresight. “Then we brainstorm wise people, from the famous to our neighbors. The Dalai Llama and Gandhi are favorites.”

Collectively, students generate nearly 300 wisdom questions by each picking three wise people and devising three questions for each wise person. Then they design their own learning by creating a “wisdom project.” The project must incorporate research, an experiential component, and present a way of sharing one’s wisdom with others.

“Often students find their way to exploring something they’re wrestling with in themselves,” says Kris.

Questions students have explored in the past are: How can I be more peaceful? And, what is it like to be in someone else’s shoes?  Students frequently spend several weeks experiencing alternate ways of being in the world, ranging from getting around in a wheelchair to meditating daily outdoors.

“When students take on unfamiliar limitations and expectations it’s usually an eye-opener and likewise an empathy building experience,” says Kris.

Both Jemma and Lucas believe the skills and perspective they’ve gained in Human Relations have prepared them better for high school and beyond. 

“You learn things you wouldn’t from any other class,” says Jemma. “You feel more adult, because you’re having deep conversations you wouldn’t have anywhere else.”

Lucas agrees. “Human Relations class makes you think a lot; it helps you form your identity and your ideas. And because you know yourself and you’re comfortable with your peers you don’t have to go buy clothes or do other things to fit in. You’ve learned to live the life you want to,” says Lucas. “You’re a wiser person.”