Collaborative work and supportive relationships are core to Hyla’s mission. As a school, we believe deeply in the importance of close, caring connections not only for academic growth but also for holistic development. “Our goal is to know each other as whole people.” The 7th grade “Know This to Know Me” project illustrates these values: two teachers this year are combining their expertise to help students develop skills with technology, acquire deeper understanding of media, and build supportive connections with each other. Jeff created this project last year in the new HyLab makerspace so that 7th grade students could practice skills in multimedia production while also answering the question “Who am I?”. Over the summer he and Cooper explored how they could collaborate together as the concept evolved, and this fall, “Know This to Know Me” has been hosted by Human Relations class time.

HyLab learning goals include not only making and design thinking, but also interdisciplinary connections. During “Know This to Know Me,” students can explore layers of digital citizenship and become more informed about what they create, as well as reflect on the interactive “media universe” in which we all live. In this project, Jeff also recognizes additional goals: individually, students learn to speak their own truth in front of other people, and collectively, a community can become worthy of trust. 

In discussing “Know This to Know Me,” both Jeff and Cooper reference the idea of the “iceberg of identity,” the concept that only 10% of an individual is typically visible to others, and so each of us must decide what feels safe to reveal. As examples, these two teachers have shared and recorded important life stories with the 7th grade cohort classes. Modeling vulnerability and trust helps students find courage and build community. For their final projects later this year, the 7th graders will choose from a menu of challenges that involve asking and answering questions, perhaps interviewing others, navigating media and tools as well as reflecting on their own identity and relationships. 

“A beautiful experience” is how Cooper describes this collaborative project. During one session of “Know This to Know Me,” Jeff asked the 7th graders, “What’s been the hardest part of life since COVID-19?”. Then Cooper asked, “What’s been the best part of life since COVID-19?” Students mentioned the impacts on relationships as the hardest (not seeing friends or family) and the best (meeting new friends at school). From his Human Relations perspective, Cooper is glad to hear how the pandemic has provided opportunity for students to reset their communications patterns with their families, for example, fighting less with siblings and helping more with responsibilities. “It’s fascinating to see different kids and their awareness of themselves”. These collaborative sessions, Cooper says, “have always been better than how we planned them.”