Coming Full Circle; Building Careers

On this episode of the Tech Times podcast we chat with Masonry and Introduction to Construction Instructor Chauncey Kila. Hear about his journey to the classroom and why Tulsa Tech is a special place to him.

Transcript

Announcer: From Tulsa Tech, helping you make your own path with insights and information about the world of career training, the Tech Times Podcast starts right now. 

Ryan (Host): Welcome everybody to the Tech Times podcast. I'm your host, Ryan Williams. You know, the school year is in full swing already and students are out of the classroom and into the shop.

Ryan (Host): And for our masonry, an introduction to construction students. The clock is ticking on finishing their first big project. With that, I'm really excited to find time and instructor Chauncey Kila's busy schedule to chat with us about these two programs. Welcome to the podcast. 

Chauncey Kila: How you doing, Ryan?

Ryan (Host): Pretty good.

Ryan (Host): How are you?

Chauncey Kila: I'm doing pretty good. 

Ryan (Host): You're pretty busy these days? 

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. I stay busy. I don't, you know, . This is became my life. I think this is my second home. 

Ryan (Host): All right. Well, before we dig into the programs and the projects and things like that, I wanna start a little bit with your career journey.

Ryan (Host): So what drew you to the masonry and construction fields? 

Chauncey Kila: Well, I was working in the field, as a journeyman bricklayer for about 13 years, and my body started breaking down on me, you know, so. And I got approached by, Sharon Schaub at the Peoria campus, the opportunity to, to teach second year students to come back.

Chauncey Kila: And, the opportunity arose and I, I thought it'd be a, a different, you know, avenue to go down. And so I took the job and, . I only had six students that came back. 

Ryan (Host): Huh. What do you like about, um, masonry and the construction industry?

Chauncey Kila: Well, what I like about it is, believe it or not, I kind of like the hard work about it.

Chauncey Kila: And then the rewards is to be, go back later and, and see the, you know, all the structures that you've worked on. And, and it's gonna withstand the test of time, you know, 20 years from now. You know, you'll be able to tell your children Yeah. That you worked on that building. You know, 

Ryan (Host): I would think that's really rewarding.

Ryan (Host): You have something tangible you can see on a project.

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. But a, after a while my kids got tired of me telling that, Hey, I dad, did you work on that building? I said, yeah, I did.

Ryan (Host): You know, too much bragging from dad, I guess.

Chauncey Kila: Yeah.

Ryan (Host): That's awesome. Um, so you mentioned a little bit about getting into teaching.

Ryan (Host): So what drew you into the teaching industry other than the, your body breaking down. I mean, that's a pretty tough thing to transition into.

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. My, believe it or not, my first year of teaching was probably my best year. That I ever had. 'cause I didn't know how to teach. The students didn't know anything about brick laying, so we just showed up and had a good time.

Chauncey Kila: , But over the years, . , I've learned that, , the students is the reason, what keeps me going, you know, the, the different, , genres, I guess the students, , and how they all learn differently and it's, it's always a challenge every year to, to come up with ways that. You know, to, to teach 'em and there's, or to learn.

Ryan (Host): There seems to be a bit of a correlation. You also get an outcome here where you get to see those results of all of the stuff you taught them through the year and they get out there into industry and get jobs. 

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. Or that really, for me, that's the biggest reward of this job is when I see 'em later, like in the store.

Chauncey Kila: 'Cause then they're. They're the, you're seeing their true self. Sure. When they're away from the school, you know, we're not bounded down by rules and, stuff like that. When you see 'em out in the, in the real world, like, where they work at, you know, you're seeing the true, their true self there.

Ryan (Host): That's pretty cool to be able to . See that them out on the job site. 

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. And that, . The students open up to you more too when you're out, away from the school. Sure. And, that's pretty cool too. 

Ryan (Host): Yeah. Tell us about your most memorable or maybe your first project you ever worked on. 

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. Well really this, this 9/11 project that we've been doing every year, that's probably been the most memorable.

Chauncey Kila: Every year it's something different. And I still remember how it all came about it. It all came about by accident. 

Chauncey Kila: When I first started teaching, I wanted to see what the students knew about brick laying. So I had 'em build a flag at a brick. And since it was close to 9/11, I put, I had 'em put nine and 11 in the flag.

Chauncey Kila: And then the coworker, I don't know if you remember Theresa Hunter, she came by and took a picture of them and had them salute. And I thought that was kind of strange that she had them salute in the picture and then she posted that picture district wide salute to the heroes of 9/11. And we got a stack of email back, you know, real thick saying Good job masonry.

Chauncey Kila: You know, and it, it kind of put masonry back on the map. Cause it, they were, they were gonna close the program because of low enrollment. So, but every year after that. It's, , we had full enrollment the next year we had full enrollment. And every time we build those projects, it's those stories that we hear that how it, how it moves somebody or how it touched somebody, , that, that keeps us building them every year.

Chauncey Kila: So we, there's a lot of stories out there.

Ryan (Host): Oh, that's, yeah. 

Ryan (Host): That's so cool. I love hearing all of those. Do you have a project or, , something memorable from early in your career? Like your first project that you worked at when you were first getting started?

Chauncey Kila: Well, I started out, we, we built a lot of the QuikTrip Okay. In, in Tulsa. Awesome. I, I wish I knew then what I know now about QuikTrip. I probably would've bought some stock into it. 

Chauncey Kila: I'm still thinking about going over to the headquarters and. I say, Hey, I, you know, I helped build a lot of these. Where's my share? You know, , no, like, like I said, the, what what's rewarding to me is, is the, is the hard work and involved, oh, and the camaraderie that we, that I had on the job sites.

Chauncey Kila: You know, you sit down at lunch on a. Bucket or a block. 

Chauncey Kila: And, and you sit down with the other brick layers, the old timers and, and you just talk story and eat your bologna sandwich. You know, those, those are memorable moments for me in the field sitting down with the, the guys and eating lunch.

Ryan (Host): And that's what you have in your lunchbox was bologna most of the time. 

Chauncey Kila: Well, you know Yeah. 

Ryan (Host): You bring what you can bring, right? 

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. 'Cause you usually didn't have time to go out

Ryan (Host): you talked a lot about this already, but where did you discover your work ethic? I mean, it's important in this type of role.

Ryan (Host): Yeah. But where did you discover yours? 

Chauncey Kila: Well, I, it didn't dawn on me till later in life and, and, , I got it from my dad. Okay.

Chauncey Kila: My dad, ,

Chauncey Kila: sorry.

Chauncey Kila: My dad was a, a quiet man. But he worked hard. , I knew, I know, I remember him holding down four jobs, , just so we could have a, you know, a roof over our head and, , food to eat. And, , to this day he doesn't talk much. , But the impact he's made on my life is, is loud. . You know, just, just.

Chauncey Kila: Watching him work over the years. He's just hard worker. 

Ryan (Host): Well, how do you, how do you like to, you're such a hard worker, how do you like to spend your free time?

Chauncey Kila: That's a good question. , Really just resting 'cause, uh, you know, worked so much. And then on the weekends, , I'm usually working in the yard. , It's like, like I said, my, you know, I got my work ethic from my dad. He was always working in the yard or doing something, you know, he never resting hardly. 

Ryan (Host): No hobbies or anything.

Chauncey Kila: Mostly yard work?

Chauncey Kila: No. No, I don't. Just kind of, I live right by the lake and I don't even go fishing, so.

Ryan (Host): Oh, yeah.

Chauncey Kila: I wish I did have some hobbies, but I, I did a lot of that stuff when I was younger, so. 

Ryan (Host): So in the intro we mentioned the clock is almost up for your first big project, and we talked a little bit about, um, your project, the 9/11 tribute wall.

Ryan (Host): Tell us a little bit more about what that project entails, and you kind of spoke to it earlier, but where'd that idea come from?

Chauncey Kila: Well, like I said, it, it came about by accident really . But over the years of doing them, uh, one of the reasons we keep doing them is 'cause of the stories that we hear, and now people expect us to come up with something every year now, so Oh, you've set a precedent.

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. So, um, we don't wanna let those people down. So how do you guys, how do you come 

Chauncey Kila: up with new ideas every year? 

Chauncey Kila: Well, we start, uh, I let the students kind of brainstorm and I know what. Materials we got to work with. And, uh, we take some of their ideas and some of my ideas and, and we just go out there and, and put it together.

Chauncey Kila: And a lot of times, uh, we come up with other ideas as we're building it. 

Chauncey Kila: Hmm. 

Chauncey Kila: So it's a, it is a process. We don't, we don't have any kind, uh, blueprints or anything. Um, we just. Go out there and it just comes to us and it, it amazes me how they're different every year. I mean, it's been, what, 24 years now? And, uh,

Ryan (Host): pretty close

Chauncey Kila: every year has been different.

Ryan (Host): So that really is unique in how each year the students have input, provided the fact that the last couple of years. , Most of the students hadn't even been born yet when the Yeah. Uh, 9/11 actually happened. 

Chauncey Kila: Yeah.

Ryan (Host): That's a very interesting thing. You, you can you share with us Yeah. In teaching that history to them, um, do a lot of them know about the event before coming?

Chauncey Kila: Yeah, and I, I ask myself that every year and I, I've. Tend to forget too that they haven't been born yet. So, but we, we watch some videos and, , I can see it in their faces when we're watching the videos that, you know, it's, it's really sinking into 'em. , Even the, even the students that came, comes by and, and looks at it, you can just look in their eyes and they, they're just amazing.

Chauncey Kila: And I, asked them if they learned that in school and they. Most of the time they say, yeah, just a little bit. 

Chauncey Kila: But, but so that's kind of one of the things that we try to do too in our projects is we want 'em to be heartfelt projects. You know, we want, we want people to walk away, , feeling something.

Ryan (Host): Yeah. You, well, that is really special for both the students and members of the community. , You've kind of mentioned earlier about internally here in the district, your response, , to the tribute walls. , Can you share a little bit about what the, how the community's reacted in the past? 

Chauncey Kila: Yeah, it's, this has been, , eyeopening for me too, the how much we affected community.

Chauncey Kila: Like that one incident, one story. , The lady from, , pat Moss from Skiatook, you know, she lost her only son at, in the Pentagon. And she'd been to every memorial service at the Pentagon except for 2012. She didn't go because she lost her husband that year. . And, , she saw our walls on the news and called me up and wanted to come out to see the walls in person.

Chauncey Kila: And she brought her daughter with her and they just walked up to the wall and just started crying. 

Chauncey Kila: Well then that. Made me cry too. And then she told her story to my students about her son. And, and that was the first time that we ever had somebody that was tied to the original event. You know, we've, we've had a lot of media coverage, but we never had anybody that was actually, you know, tied to it.

Chauncey Kila: And, and then another instance, that. We invite other programs to come view the, from Tulsa Tech and some of the nursing students over at the HSC has come over and, , they wanted to participate one year, so they made these origami, birds or something like that. And we hung them on the, on our, on our memorial.

Chauncey Kila: So that was. That's kind of neat that they had a part in it.

Ryan (Host): Another contribution. Yeah. . That's very cool. So, for listeners who might not be as familiar, um, walk us through the masonry, both the masonry and introduction to construction programs. What kinds of skills do students learn?

Chauncey Kila: I try to teach a lot of the soft skills too.

Chauncey Kila: That's why I use, , utilize our CTSOs 'cause that teaches them the leadership and communication skills. , But they're also gonna learn, you know, the familiarization with the tools, the how to apply the, the techniques and, , but mostly it's, they're, they're all so unique. , That's what makes, , our job so challenging is. How do we, how do we get these students out of their comfort zone?

Ryan (Host): Sure.

Chauncey Kila: You know, so they can learn. , So many of 'em are just kind of just here. ,

Chauncey Kila: And that,

Ryan (Host): you know, I know that you said so little there, but it makes so much sense.

Chauncey Kila: Yeah.

Ryan (Host): And I get what you're saying. And we're here to help them. Not only learn the skills to be successful on the job site. But also help them network, communicate, build those other skills that will help them succeed even more than just doing the work, right? 

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. Sometimes you gotta, you gotta break down some barriers .

Chauncey Kila: To be able to get to that point where you can teach 'em the skills. 'cause some of 'em are just, you know, just closed up. And so I. I, I utilize the, the CTSO a lot for that. And, , and the ones, , some of 'em are just going to stay closed out. I mean, but that doesn't mean they're, they're not gonna be successful

Ryan (Host): for sure.

Ryan (Host): Yeah. It just takes that one spark.

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. So I guess that also matters too. What's your definition of success? Yeah. It, it could mean, it could mean a lot of things. And for my students, you know, if they can just show up every day on time, you know, that's success to me. You know? . , 

Ryan (Host): Well, let's take a quick break.

Ryan (Host): When we come back, we'll talk about some of the, , exciting opportunities for students. 

Chauncey Kila: Alright.

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Ryan (Host): Okay, we are back chatting with Masonry and Intro to construction instructor Chauncey Kila. So, Chauncey, before the break, we talked about the program, a little bit about the 9/11 tribute wall. I wanna chat a little bit about opportunities for students now. So your students take part in SkillsUSA, which is a really awesome CTSO.

Ryan (Host): Can you tell us a little about that student organization and how it helps students? 

Chauncey Kila: Okay, so. , For one thing, , skills USA has done a lot for, for me in my life. , 

Ryan (Host): Well, let's, let's hear about that. Yeah. 

Chauncey Kila: Well, um, like I said, I, I wasn't a talkative person, you know, um, when I first started teaching, uh, the other teachers were saying, you need to get involved with skills USA, and I said, I.

Chauncey Kila: What is Skills USA? So, you know, at first I thought it was just about contests. , So I, I got the kids involved with the skills and, and then when I saw what it does for the students, it, you know, like a, a switch turns on. , I've taken students, , shy at the beginning of the year and get 'em involved with skills by the end of the year.

Chauncey Kila: They're your leaders in your class. You know, they. , Breaks 'em outta their shell, , makes 'em more outgoing. And, and also it, it, it opens them up to a world where they see other students that are like them, you know, , 

Ryan (Host): not just their classmates . But from other tech centers as well, so, yeah. 

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. And, and they realize that, hey, I'm not alone.

Chauncey Kila: You know, I'm not alone in this world. There's other people just like me. . And that's what kind of, it is kind of done that for me too. So, , it's helped me become more vulnerable, I guess. 'Cause when we all have stories to tell and I found out that once we open up and tell our story, , it, it kind of lifts a burden off your shoulders.

Chauncey Kila: You know, a lot of weight off your shoulders. And I see that in my students too. When, when they open up to me, they, they tend to like the class better. They'll start participating more and you know, but if you, if you don't break down those barriers, then . They're hard to reach. 

Ryan (Host): Yeah. It's hard to find that connection, that bond that really helps keep them engaged, right?

Chauncey Kila: . 

Chauncey Kila: Yep. And skills kind of helps, helps with that, you know, bonding, 

Ryan (Host): you have a display case, right outside your shop that holds medals and awards. Does that motivate your current students seeing all that success? 

Chauncey Kila: I don't know if it motivates 'em, but it shows them what. What to expect, maybe, , or even what, what could be possibly, they could possibly become, you know?

Ryan (Host): Yeah.

Chauncey Kila: And, and I tell 'em that a lot of these, , banners and medals that I have are, are students that are just like them. You know, they, they didn't know anything about skills uSA, , but you have to, you gotta kind of push 'em a little bit and, . And then they'll come around and, and then, and then I tell 'em that one of those medals could be yours one day, you know?

Chauncey Kila: If you apply yourself. So, 

Ryan (Host): Moving on to life after training, one of the biggest questions future students and parents have is, will this lead to a job? Like, how does your program prepare students to be ready for the workforce as soon as they graduate? 

Chauncey Kila: Well, like I said, they're, they're gonna be familiar with the tools and how to, how to apply the tools.

Chauncey Kila: Good work ethic. You know, I try to make 'em, you know, do something in, in the shop, you know, whether it's cleaning, pushing the broom, or cleaning tools. As long as they're doing something, . That, that's what a lot of employers want. They just want somebody show up every day, show up on time, put in eight hours work, and, and they'll teach 'em what they need to know on the job.

Chauncey Kila: , But we gotta get, get 'em there first. 

Ryan (Host): Sure. Yeah. 

Ryan (Host): For, someone thinking about filling out an application, what's your best advice to help them succeed in this program and later in their career? You talked about work ethic a lot, but like. What, what would be one thing, advice you would give to a student to help them, , fill out that application and come on board?

Chauncey Kila: Well, like I said, you know, everybody's got a story. , You know, don't be afraid to tell your story to your employer, you know, , he might, you know, feels. , Sympathetic to your story and maybe give you a job because of that, but, but you also gotta be able to prove yourself to that employer, not just, you know, have bunch of, bunch of talk.

Chauncey Kila: You gotta be able to walk the walk. So, , be honest. That's always a good thing. Be honest with your employer and, just be real. Just don't, don't try to. Be somebody you're not. 

Ryan (Host): I think that's the case generally, right? 

Chauncey Kila: In any of, oh yeah. Especially these young kids job you wanna do. . Oh, well, yeah.

Chauncey Kila: That's another thing too, we, we try to do as teachers, , or I do at least, is try to help them find who they are. Yeah. A lot of 'em, a lot of 'em are, you know, I was that way when I was going to school here too, uh, you know, just trying to find where I fit. , Trying all different kinds of identities.

Chauncey Kila: Oh, yeah. , 

Ryan (Host): I could tell you that story if I like, I mean, that's every high school's Yeah. Person's journey, right? Yeah. Like, I mean, we're all trying to find ourselves. Yeah. Go ahead. Share with us. 

Chauncey Kila: Okay. When, when I came to Tulsa Tech here, I was, I was in autobody and Bob Schultz was my teacher. And, uh, I was kind of a short, scrawny kid back then, and I didn't want people to bully me, so.

Chauncey Kila: I had a Harley Davidson belt buckle, and I had a windbreaker that I, I bought a Harley Davidson patch and put on the windbreaker on the back. At the fair. I bought the patch at the fair. . And I made every, all the kids think that, that, , I was a. A biker 

Ryan (Host): bad dude, right? Yeah. 

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. I, I had a Harley Davidson low rider, 1000 at home, and all I had was a skateboard at the time.

Chauncey Kila: , But nobody knew you, that, that's what was cool about tech. Nobody knew. They were all from different schools, so you could be whoever you wanted to be, you know? . And that's who I was. I was, I was a biker dude. And 

Ryan (Host): you reinvented yourself. Share with us. One thing about a student that may be interested, you know, the program, the students that stop by at program visits.

Ryan (Host): What's your sales pitch for this program? 

Chauncey Kila: Well, , a lot of hands-on. , They like that less book work. , I, I tend to push the skills. USA, , , there's a lot of advantages to that. , The networking and meeting. If you get a chance to go to nationals, you're going to meet students from all over the United States.

Chauncey Kila: , They like that idea. And, , and we're just going to be, you know, building. And 

Ryan (Host): I'm always curious, what's one common myth about your job or industry that you'd like to debunk? 

Chauncey Kila: To me, uh, bricklaying is. One of those invisible trades, , people.

Ryan (Host): Why do you say that?

Chauncey Kila: People see brick, brick work, Uhhuh, but they don't, they don't put a guy laying those bricks 

Ryan (Host): Gotcha

Chauncey Kila: person.

Chauncey Kila: You know, they just see the brick work. , They don't think of a, you know, a brick layer had actually had to physically put that brick in the wall. So, 

Ryan (Host): yeah. They don't look at it as kind of manual labor. It's almost automatic. Right? . Yeah. 

Chauncey Kila: It's, it's, that's always been kind of strange to me. But, but once I became a bricklayer, I know how much work goes into it.

Chauncey Kila: And, you know, the craftsmanship, especially back in the old days, they, they did a lot of craftsmanship, right? Work. 

Ryan (Host): Yeah. Go downtown, check out all the buildings down there. Yeah. 

Chauncey Kila: So I guess maybe. Maybe that's one thing I'd probably want to debunk that brick laying is not for dummies. I mean, it does take an art, , an artist eye, I guess.

Ryan (Host): Yeah. Certain there's a certain skillset. 

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. But I think a lot of people think you just plop some mortar down and plop a brick on it. But there's, 

Ryan (Host): believe me a little bit more to it for any listeners out there. I've tried that and it doesn't work. So, yeah, there is certainly a skillset. , You've mentioned this quite a bit today, but, , just wanna kind of, , hammer this home.

Ryan (Host): What qualities make a great masonry or a construction professional? 

Chauncey Kila: Okay. Yeah. , Self motivation is a good one. , I gotta be self-motivated. , 

Ryan (Host): Why do you think that is? Why do you think you have to be more self-motivated as opposed to. Well, 

Chauncey Kila: when I think of self-motivated, I, I mean somebody that can think on their own.

Chauncey Kila: Okay. Yeah. Yeah. , Not somebody that ha you have to tell every step what to do. , Somebody that can, you know, see something that needs to be done and just does it without being told. To me that's self-motivated and I think employers like that.

Ryan (Host): Oh, for sure.

Chauncey Kila: I was like that when I was in the field and.

Chauncey Kila: I was able to keep a lot of jobs because of it. 

Ryan (Host): Oh yeah, of course. What other qualities? 

Chauncey Kila: Yeah, being honest. You know, you, you break something or you tear something up or you know, just be honest about it. Tell the boss and don't try to hide things. , And be being safe. Being safe on, , everything you do in construction.

Chauncey Kila: You gotta be safe. So you, you gotta always be thinking about safety. , We teach the students that safety is a, is a learned behavior. It's not a, you know, you're not born with safety, you gotta learn it. So, , just being safe on the job, always thinking about safety. , Being punctual is always good and, and that.

Chauncey Kila: Another thing that I miss about being in the field. , We always stayed till the job was done. You know, we weren't clock conscious, you know, oh, it's three 30 I gotta go. 

Chauncey Kila: You know, we always stayed till the last man left. 'cause we always, , you know, somebody's car might not start. 

Chauncey Kila: So we always hung around, made sure everybody.

Chauncey Kila: , Left the job site, you know, 

Ryan (Host): I'm curious, is that a difference in hourly versus salary or just dedication to that crew? Yeah. Or kind of how, how does that work? 

Chauncey Kila: I, to me, I think it was just, I, you know, being human. . You know, just, just being, , you know, kind to others and just, you know, taking care of each other that.

Chauncey Kila: You know, you work with a bunch of guys every day on the job for years and years.

Ryan (Host): You wanna make sure your team is okay.

Chauncey Kila: Yeah, yeah. You become kind of like family. And you share each other's stories and, and, you know, you just want to, just like your kids, you know, when your kids leave you, you always go to the door and wave to 'em, goodbye, you know, make sure they.

Chauncey Kila: Yeah. Leave or 

Ryan (Host): do you do that with your colleagues now? 

Chauncey Kila: , Well no, probably not as much. No, not really. 

Ryan (Host): Well, Chauncey, I appreciate your time. Oh man. Thanks so much for being here with us today.

Chauncey Kila: This has been great. I appreciate it. 

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