Celebrating Our Award Winners

Celebrate the holiday season with a special look at our Employee Award Winners. Hear from our Employee of the Year, Counselor of the Year, New Teacher of the Year and Teacher of the Year. Each recounts that special moment in August and what it means to be honored.

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 Williams (Host): Hey, everybody, welcome to this special edition of the Tech Times podcast. I'm your host, Ryan Williams. Every year in August, we get. Our full faculty and staff together for our Back to School Bash we call Reunion.

Ryan Williams (Host): It's a great event, lasts all day, and it really builds the excitement for the new school year. And we also get to name our employee award winners and recently got the chance to sit down with each of them and hear about their journey. So we start with our employee of the year, Heather Garner. Heather, welcome to the podcast.

Heather Garner: Thank you. 

Ryan Williams (Host): So Heather, you are a resource coordinator in our workforce training and economic development team. Tell us a little bit about your role. 

Heather Garner: I help manage the facilities. I help book rooms. We have a lot of full-time programs for adults and so we, I help order all the equipment, manage repairs.

Heather Garner: Just pretty much anything that we need. 

Ryan Williams (Host): All the bells and whistles behind the scenes. Okay. 

Heather Garner: It's just hard with biz and wed, because we do so much different than everyone else in the district, 

Heather Garner: you know, I used to, I never knew this place existed and I went to school here. I never knew biz or wed existed.

Ryan Williams (Host): Yeah. So I wanna start a little bit here. Thinking about back in August, what was that moment like when you heard your name called. 

Heather Garner: I wanted to climb under the table. I just was shocked. But yeah, it took a while to sink in what happened? 

Ryan Williams (Host): Yeah. Are you one of those people that never really expects an award or recognition?

Heather Garner: I prefer someone else be in the spotlight. 

Ryan Williams (Host): So did you see it coming then? 

Heather Garner: No. I mean, I filled out the survey, the questions and everything, but there's so many. Great employees that you think, okay, this is just something I'm doing to be part Sure. Yeah, 

Ryan Williams (Host): yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So Heather, in your role, you work with students and clients

Ryan Williams (Host): each and every day. What is, what's your why for working at Tulsa Tech? What's, why are you so passionate about your role here? 

Heather Garner: I just see everything we do in the community. 

Heather Garner: I see. What an impact. And if I'm wearing a shirt out at the grocery store at a restaurant. I always get positive feedback, so it just is a great place to, to work.

Heather Garner: I've never heard a negative thing. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Right. 

Heather Garner: It's just crazy that, I mean, to work somewhere and every, and have so much positive feedback. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Yeah. All of our award winners kind of have different roles in the district. , All of us are united by impact. What's one moment this past year that reminded you of your impact or your why?

Heather Garner: Well, we've started the advanced mobility program. And everyone has had to pull together to pull that together. And just watching how successful it is, watching high school students, adults and watching the program thrive is . Is why we do seeing program successful is exciting, 

Ryan Williams (Host): watching those lives change every day.

Ryan Williams (Host): Yep. Every school has, we talked about this a little, a bit ago. Every school has that person or people that keep things running, even when no one notices. Um, what's maybe something you do behind the scenes that people wouldn't expect? 

Heather Garner: We get all kinds of requests and just trying to, internal, external, just making sure that, that their event runs smoothly.

Heather Garner: Trying to pull everything together. Just every little thing. They might be missing a cord. They might, you know, need a copy. Just, we're always trying to make sure that everyone's event runs smoothly. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Putting together all of those intangibles that 

Heather Garner: Yes, and people, it's their event, so they're on high alert.

Heather Garner: So just trying to make sure to tell them everything's gonna be okay. 

Ryan Williams (Host): What does it mean to you that, to know that your peers here at Tulsa Tech nominated you? 

Heather Garner: I mean, it's, it's wonderful. Because sometimes day in, day out, your frustrations at work and everything and you think, you know, you're not perfect all the time, but you try to, to do everything that you can to help everyone.

Heather Garner: So it just feels good to know that it doesn't go unnoticed. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Well, thank you so much for that. I love that insight. Yeah. Thanks for joining us today. 

Heather Garner: Thank you very much.

Ryan Williams (Host): Okay, joining us now is our counselor of the year, Ms. Paula Bearden. Paula works at our Riverside campus. Hey, congratulations. 

Paula Bearden: Thank you. It's certainly an honor and I'm very excited to talk to you today. 

Ryan Williams (Host): So let's think back a little bit to August at Reunion. When you first kind of heard the description bio, you know, they always describe the person that's winning the award.

Ryan Williams (Host): Did you, did it stick? Did you think it was you initially? 

Paula Bearden: You know, it's one of those things that I've been nominated before, so sometimes when you hear those things, and there are always these great descriptions and usually counselors have a lot of. Similar personalities and things like that.

Paula Bearden: I did recognize a little emphasis on mental health, and that's definitely a passion of mine, so that did stick out a little bit, but 

Ryan Williams (Host): Okay. 

Paula Bearden: I was not expecting it, that's for sure. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Okay. Well, what was that moment like when you first heard your name called. 

Paula Bearden: I described this to, some friends of mine that were asking, we saw you online that you won this award or whatever, and I just was like, you know, it was just perfect timing for me.

Paula Bearden: I've been here for, this is my 13th year at Tech. I've invested a lot of time in not just my campuses, but in the district in general, and I love it. I feel like so many, I mean, tech is my family, so many of my friends, and. The people that support me, I consider to be Tulsa Tech family. So it felt really good to be recognized and noticed, and I really appreciated it.

Ryan Williams (Host): You mentioned that timing of that, we, we, as, I feel like educators and school staff, we really don't expect recognition, those recognition or awards or things like that. But you didn't see that coming at all, did you? 

Paula Bearden: No. No. I really didn't. And I only knew that I'd been nominated, but I'd been nominated before, so you just never know.

Ryan Williams (Host): Sure. So in your role you work with students each and every day. Was there a person or teacher that really inspired you to get into education? 

Paula Bearden: Oh gosh, absolutely. I mean, there's really two, mainly my mom. My mom was a elementary school teacher my whole entire life, and I am definitely a product of a child, of an educator because I was very envious of the time and energy that.

Paula Bearden: Her students got from her, but I was also really proud of it at the same time. 'Cause I knew that my mom really loved her students and really invested in them. And I, I admired that even though I wanted a little bit of that as well as a child, but also my school counselor, , my high school counselor when I was in school.

Paula Bearden: I struggled a lot in high school. I think my students know when I'm working with them that I'm genuine when I'm like, I can relate to what you're going through. And I had just. An amazing high school counselor who saw my struggle and went above and beyond in appropriate ways, obviously, to, you know, kind of meet some of those needs that I was not getting at home and just in my struggles and things that I needed.

Paula Bearden: So help me with car trouble sometimes because I had to work to pay for things. And so anyway, so I just, I just remember thinking, I wanna be able to give this to students who are coming to school, you know? Maybe not abused or whatever, or they are, but that just need that extra support and that person that's like, I'm gonna spend time and invest in you.

Ryan Williams (Host): What's one thing that students or parents would be shocked to know you actually deal with? 

Paula Bearden: I would think, how much like. Obviously anxiety is this blanket, word and have a lot of anxiety, and most people know that, but I don't think, I don't think people understand what that looks like sometimes at school.

Paula Bearden: I'm seeing eating disorders and self harm maybe on the rise right now. And really just students that just don't feel connected to anything. I think that's also, we we're seeing a lot of our kids that were middle school, our high school students that were middle school during the pandemic, and so during a very pivotal time where those connections.

Paula Bearden: Needed to happen. They weren't happening. And so I'm seeing that play out and they doubt themselves. They're highly, highly sensitive to making mistakes. They don't wanna take risks, you know, things like that. And that causes them to look so much inward that I think that's where some of that self harm and some of that being is coming, coming from.

Ryan Williams (Host): It's so interesting the, that. We, continually are talking, in recent years, more about connection and we have all of these digital devices that proclaim to connect everybody, but it's really not, that tangible human connection that we all really need. 

Paula Bearden: Yeah, I know. I just had a student just the other day say to me, this is the first time in a long time I felt like someone really listened to me.

Paula Bearden: And I know they're online. I know they have classmates I know, but I really try and get away from my computer and sit down and just really just really listen. And sometimes that's. That's the game changer. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Do you have any tips or tricks on how to, how folks can connect with teenagers? I know that's a difficult path for a lot of adults.

Paula Bearden: It is. It is. And I think, I think for parents, you know, lean on those support people. . I mean, if you've got good friends or, um, you know, invest in their teachers too, know who their teachers are. 'cause their teachers are gonna be the ones that. Saying a lot of the same things that you say, and all of a sudden your child is hearing it and you're like, I've told you that same thing.

Paula Bearden: Now you hear it in a different voice. So, so I guess really connecting with teenagers is, , yeah, just listening to them and not telling 'em what they should or shouldn't do. Ask 'em a lot of questions. . You know, and not just 

Ryan Williams (Host): help them get there themselves. 

Paula Bearden: Yeah. Not just how's that working for you?

Paula Bearden: 'cause that can sound a little, you know, a little too sarcastic. But, you know, say, you know, tell me more about that. You know, how are you feeling about that decision? You know, what other options do you have? . Those kinds of things. Questions are great. 

Ryan Williams (Host): You know, all of our award winners, kind of work in different roles, of course, here across the district.

Ryan Williams (Host): What's one moment this past year that reminded you of your why? Like your impact here? 

Paula Bearden: Yeah, you know, honestly it was just a couple of weeks ago, we were working with a really difficult, student, and they are in that transitional time where they're out of high school, but they're still living at home.

Paula Bearden: And of course with a FERPA sign, so we have permission to speak to the parent, just talking to that parent and hearing their struggles with wanting to support their child and help them become independent. And me being able to share some of my experience, both professionally and personally and just having.

Paula Bearden: That parent just be like, thank, I mean, they were like, thank you so much for your time. Like I feel like now I can, I can, I'm rejuvenated and I can go back in here and I'm going to use some new, new tips. Ands I, I was gonna say some tools or resources, tools and things like that. Absolutely. So I think for me.

Paula Bearden: You know, parenting can be really lonely and parenting an adult child is really hard because you are not in the same parenting role. You're in a different role, and that can get really tricky because it's not like you turn off that parent switch of, you know, I'm responsible for caring for you and your safety and all that.

Paula Bearden: It doesn't just flip off. But on the other hand, developmentally that child needs a different influence from you. Rather than, you know, the same so. 

Ryan Williams (Host): You mentioned being nominated before , multiple times, but what does it mean to to you to know that your peers here at Tulsa Tech nominated you for this award?

Paula Bearden: Well, you know that it means a lot. Like I said, I, and I think that's why it was so timely. One of the first times that I was nominated was my very first year at Tulsa Tech and that felt a little bit like I haven't really done anything yet, you know? Sure. So now it was like, you know, I've done some stuff and I have some really strong in.

Paula Bearden: Important, meaningful, impactful relationships that I've built over the 12 years I've been here. So, like I said, it was just really timely. It felt right, it felt good. It didn't feel fake, it didn't feel unwarranted. And I was just happy about it. I mean, I would've been happy either way. I love my job. I love showing up and working hard, , for my students and for my colleagues.

Paula Bearden: But, yeah, no, it just was, it was just, just, like I said, perfect timing. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Well, Paula, thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your 

Ryan Williams (Host): experience. 

Paula Bearden: Yes, thanks for having me.

Ryan Williams (Host): All right, and now let's welcome in our new teacher of the year, Mr. Dakota. Beller Dakota teaches our applied production technology program at the Owosso Campus. Congratulations. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Thank you very much. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Glad to be here. For those who may not be as familiar with what applied production technology means, can you give a little explanation on that?

Dakota Beller: Yeah, you bet. So our class as just a whole, I always tell everybody we. Essentially teach anything that you can think of in the manufacturing world. So if you can think of it in a manufacturing plant, we're gonna cover it in this class. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Do we? Is it considered kind of a foundational, it's program? 

Dakota Beller: It's what I would say a lot of the students go to after that class.

Ryan Williams (Host): Okay. Very cool. Yeah. So let's start, think back a little bit to August. At our reunion, kind of our back to school bash. What was that moment like when you heard your name called? 

Dakota Beller: Yeah. Pretty surprised I think. . If you looked back at some pictures, you may be able to see my face in there. I'm sure it's pretty, pretty funny 'cause wasn't expecting that, but it was a, it was a nice little surprise for sure.

Ryan Williams (Host): You know, education folks, educators in general typically don't expect that type of recognition. Did you see it coming at all? 

Dakota Beller: No, I did not. I mean, , I knew I was nominated, , but you know, you just think of all the incredible instructors around the district and, it's, it definitely does feel nice and it was a little shocking just to get that.

Dakota Beller: Prestigious of a reward 

Ryan Williams (Host): in your role. You get to work with students every day. , Was there a person or teacher that really inspired you to get into education? 

Dakota Beller: Yes. I would definitely say my dad. Oh. , We've kind of, I've kind of followed in his footsteps, I would say, and, , I think they've been some pretty great footsteps, so

Ryan Williams (Host): I would agree.

Dakota Beller: Definitely would say my dad. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Yeah. I had a great opportunity to work with your dad here at Tulsa Tech, and now he's superintendent at another school. How, how awesome is that? 

Dakota Beller: Pretty great. Pretty great. 

Ryan Williams (Host): All of our award winners work in different roles as new teacher of the year. , You're obviously United with the other award winners by impact.

Ryan Williams (Host): What's one moment this past year that reminded you of your why? Why do you do this? 

Dakota Beller: Yeah. , I think every year, , it's just being able to see where we can get those students placed, whether that be a job, , whether that be a program after this program. , For me, finding that passion for my students is what?

Dakota Beller: , That's the why for me. 

Ryan Williams (Host): So when you see that light bulb go off and they kind of find their path, that's, that's what gives you that reward. 

Dakota Beller: Oh yeah. It's a pretty awesome thing. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Very cool. 

Dakota Beller: Can't be matched. 

Ryan Williams (Host): What does it mean to you to know that your peers here at Tulsa Tech nominated you for this award?

Dakota Beller: Man, that it, it, that goes a long way. You know, it's, it's one of those jobs I go to every day and I don't feel like it's a job. So it's, it's, you know, I think that's. That says a lot, but, , you know, with my colleagues here nominating me for this award, it, , it really, it really hits, hits you 

Ryan Williams (Host): well, Dakota, thanks so much for being here.

Ryan Williams (Host): Thanks for joining us. 

Dakota Beller: Thank you all. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Okay. And lastly is our teacher of the year, Gayle Hanh. Gayle is one of our foundations of manufacturing teachers. These teachers are embedded in local area high school programs, and Gayle is over at Catoosa High School. So Gayle, I just wanna start off thinking of way back when to August at the start of the school year.

Ryan Williams (Host): What was that moment like when you heard your first, heard your name called. 

Gayle Hahn: It was kind of crazy 'cause you weren't sure, like you knew you'd been nominated 'cause you had to answer the questions, but you weren't really sure. And when they started talking about it, you're like, Ooh, I think, I think that's me.

Gayle Hahn: And you're like, I'm not. Oh yeah it is. You know, it's kind of that feeling. 

Ryan Williams (Host): So educators and school staff typically don't expect a awards or being recognized, but did you see it that coming at all? 

Gayle Hahn: It's heavy competition in Tulsa Tech. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Yeah, 

Gayle Hahn: there are so many amazing teachers, which is why I wanted to come to Tulsa Tech, so I don't ever really put myself in that category typically.

Ryan Williams (Host): Well, you did win Teacher of the Year, so I think you could put yourself there. Now, what's something you believed about teaching before you started? That turned out to be totally wrong. 

Gayle Hahn: I think that the kids would actually listen to you all the time. That would've been great. , 

Ryan Williams (Host): You mean teenagers don't do that?

Gayle Hahn: No. And that's just, and even going from teaching middle school to teaching high school thinking it would get a lot better and it probably did a little bit, but there's still that challenge of just. Communicating with people who are developing brain patterns. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Yeah, they're still growing. Yeah. In many ways.

Ryan Williams (Host): So all of our award winners work in different roles, of course, and but are clearly united by their impact. What's one moment this past year that reminded you of your why? Why you do this? 

Gayle Hahn: I had a really neat story. So one of the programs I teach is a certified manufacturing associate, and it is for seniors and it gets 'em some certifications and then an internship.

Gayle Hahn: And one of my students struggled. He was a senior. He's ready to be done. He kind of quit coming to school second semester and I'm like trying to check on him all the time. He was still working at the internship. Of course. 

Ryan Williams (Host): But he had the itis. 

Gayle Hahn: But he had the itis.

Ryan Williams (Host): Oh no. 

Gayle Hahn: And I didn't know he was gonna graduate.

Gayle Hahn: And so I was in the office and I was talking to parents and all of that. He came in two weeks before school started. I was up there prepping my room and he rang the doorbell and held up a certificate and go, look, I got my diploma. So he had finished his credits over the summer and then he was like, you wanna come out and see my new truck?

Gayle Hahn: And I'm like, of course. And so it was really neat because he told me, he goes, I wouldn't be where I am. Without your FOM and your CMA program. And he was so excited. He's making a good living. Was able to buy his dream truck, and he was like, you can tell my story to everybody. He was just so excited.

Gayle Hahn: And that was the why, right? Is watching our students come out and be successful and find a great place in the world for themselves. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Yeah. That's so cool. In your role working with students every day, was there a person or teacher that really inspired you to get into education? 

Gayle Hahn: I had one that I was really close to in high school.

Gayle Hahn: She was my typing teacher and she sponsored our student council and stuff. And it was back in the day where you can get in the car and go with a teacher somewhere. . And like I went to the state capitol in the nine early nineties when they were, talking to the, to the government about pay raises and those things.

Gayle Hahn: And so just having that kind of relationship with her where we could go somewhere and really make a difference, that was so inspiring because she dealt really poured into me. 

Ryan Williams (Host): And from a keyboarding class. Nonetheless. 

Gayle Hahn: From, yes, from typing class. And then the ironic part was when I went to teach at Glenpool for our new FOM I'm in that old classroom there.

Ryan Williams (Host): Hmm. 

Gayle Hahn: Our program is in my typing classroom 

Ryan Williams (Host): that Foundations of manufacturing classroom is the old typing typing class. Wow. That is interesting. 

Gayle Hahn: Yeah. So it was, it was, I 

Ryan Williams (Host): That's full circle.

Gayle Hahn: Very ironic. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Yeah, it was. Yeah. What does it mean to you to know that your peers here at Tulsa Tech nominated you for this?

Gayle Hahn: It's pretty amazing. I mean, because like I've said, I really held my peers at Tulsa Tech very highly. Watching their dedication from afar, going to conferences with them and seeing how much they loved what they did and how passionate they were and how much they importance through their students made me wanna come and be a teacher here.

Gayle Hahn: So for them to nominate me. It means a lot. Because I feel like I'm, part of that group even more so now with that nomination, 

Ryan Williams (Host): have you been able to put your chest out and boast A little bit. 

Gayle Hahn: A little. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Okay. Good. Well, thanks so much for joining us today. We appreciate you being here. 

Gayle Hahn: Absolutely. Thank you.

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