New Kimball Area High School teacher Nathan Hylla is excited to settle in the central Minnesota area. He and his wife are building their own home in Farming, Minn. Together, the pair laid out the design of the house, chose the lot and are excited for small town living. Because of this, Hylla looks forward to getting to know students and parents in the Kimball area. Hylla was hired as the new social studies teacher this summer. His school day consists of teaching three sections of economics and two courses of seventh-grade introduction to American history. In the classroom, Hylla provides a pro-student approach to teaching. He tells stories and tries to get every student involved by appealing to different learning-styles. “I create projects that are beneficial to all students,” Hylla said. “Sometimes I play music that is relating to the American Revolution [for audio learners], or I bring in pictures for the visual learners.” Hylla also said that he likes to use technology when he teaches. He often creates power point presentations and has students complete computer-based projects. Along with providing lesson plans for different learning styles, Hylla tries to relate to each student. “One goal of mine is to reach every kid. I want to provide the best one-on-one interaction. I do this by finding out what they need and answering their questions.” Hylla said this approach helps student become better learners because they understand the importance of asking questions. Noting that part of teaching is sharing personal interests with students, Hylla said the subjects he is most passionate about are Minnesota geography, sociology and psychology. He hopes to bring his interests to KAHS students. “[Sociology] deal with the interactions of groups. The kids really like to learn this,” Hylla said. In the spring, Hylla will add psychology, geography and sociology courses to his schedule. After the school year ends, Hylla said it would be a successful if students leave KAHS prepared for life after high school. “Success is not measured in grades. There is no test to measure it,” Hylla said. “It is found when the students, especially the seniors, go away having them feel prepared, knowing that they received a quality education at Kimball.” Before working in Kimball, Hylla spent a half-year in the Walker-Hackensack-Akley school district and one semester teaching in Elk River. Hylla said that he never decided on the teaching profession, it was just a natural fit. “I guess I was steered in [the teaching] direction. I was always put into leadership roles. Even in kindergarten, the teacher said ‘you do this.’ I chose to put myself into the teaching role, the leadership role, the coaching role and the mentoring role. I really enjoy these roles.” When Hylla is not teaching, he can be found in the outdoors hunting, or fishing, hobbies he learned from his dad. He said he usually gets out about three times a week. In addition to the outdoors, Hylla enjoys working on his home and spending time with his wife. The Hyllas are expecting their first child and awaiting small-town life. “I am looking forward to the sense of community. I thrive on the small town togetherness and I want a [permanent] place to stay. I see all of this in Kimball.”
