October 2013: Making the Grade

Words: Dan KamysOctober 2013 alt Making the Grade

The Call of Masonry

Charlie JordanBy Charlie Jordan

Editor’s Note: It can take years to find out what you’re really interested in – and what makes you happy. As part of a Friday series of essays produced in partnership with The Telling Room in Portland, Maine, Charlie Jordan shared his story.

Last year, I failed a bunch of classes, just like the year before. There are a few different reasons why I failed: I forgot to do my homework; the homework was hard; and I didn’t like the classes. Sometimes it was about the teacher; sometimes it was about the class itself.

I’m doing a little better this year. I’m now a junior and allowed to go to a vocational high school called PATHS. I am taking a course there called Masonry. I am one of a few first-year [students] and a couple of second-year [students], and I am ahead of all other first years. From the first day, I’ve grasped how to do it more quickly than the others.

I chose masonry, because it was one of three options that I could choose from, and it seemed more exciting than the others. Masonry is all about working with your hands, and that’s what I like to do. During the first day there, the teacher taught us how to mix mortar, how to use our tools, and how to lay block. I made new friends from different schools, and they even gave me a nickname – Rico.

There was a parent-teacher conference last month, and my teacher gave out the greatest review I’ve ever gotten in my whole life. I’ve never experienced the burning happiness that I felt in myself that day, because I never did any of my homework or anything good in school to get a review like that.

Word got out among my family. I remember my grandmother telling me she was proud of me. I was happy, but it soon got old and no one said anything about it anymore. Sometimes I get a “Hey, how is your masonry class going?” But, other than that, it’s just my mom asking how school went that day.

Let me tell you a little bit more about masonry. It’s not just a class; it’s given me a new perspective on my life. All big buildings are made up of masonry units (brick, block, stone), and it is put together with a kind of substance that makes the units stick, called mortar. There is fake mortar – lime mortar – which you practice with and, when it dries, you can take apart very easily. Then there’s real mortar that is made by adding cement to the mixture.

Since the beginning of the year, a couple of weeks into using the real mortar, I started seeing things a lot differently than I had before. In school and while walking down the street, I look at brick buildings and see old and crumbly brick and mortar. I think to myself that it needs some work. I, myself, need work as I’m slowly building up my own life wall. I know I’m not complete with myself in this world and I’m fine with that. I have a ways to go. I started out doing horribly in school, but having this new skill is making me think differently and make better decisions.

I’m proud of myself, thanks to my masonry class. Seeing how not a lot of people are masons nowadays, I think more kids should take this course. I’m not quite sure yet, but it looks like a good possibility for my distant future. In the meantime, I might help rebuild a chimney at my great grandparents’ house, because it is very, very old and unstable. That’s masonry, and I love it.

This story was written in a residency taught by Portland, Maine-based non-profit writing center for youth The Telling Room, www.tellingroom.org. Charlie Jordan was published in the latest anthology, Illumination: An Encyclopedia of Wonder in Stories and Poems. To hear him read “Masonry” in his own voice, visit the soundcloud page:??https://soundcloud.com/tellingroom/masonry-by-charlie-jordan.

Return to Table of Contents

Contractor Tip of the Month: Get Used to the Pain
April 2026

Pain isn’t just negative; it’s a natural part of growing and improving. Instead of seeing pain as a reason to quit, recognize it as a sign you’re making progress. What sets successful people apart is their ability to stay calm and keep going when things g

Damian Lang
Contractor Tip of the Month
Read More
Fechino Files: Diesels Below 32 Degrees
April 2026

I am guessing that if you are reading this, then you experienced the cold, late-January spell that took over most of the country. The cold weather has many effects on the operations of a masonry contractor, from job shutdowns to equipment starting issues,

Steven Fechino
Fechino Files
Read More
Outreach Outlook: Building Momentum Across the Southern Region
April 2026

As April arrives, the pace of our outreach and workforce efforts across the Southern Region reaches a new level of intensity. This is the time of year when our programs, partners, and state collaborators all accelerate at once. SkillsUSA competitions are

Conner Birdsong
Outreach Outlook
Read More
Marvelous Masonry: Elbphilharmonie
April 2026

Most people know the Elbphilharmonie for its glass façade and dramatic roofline. From a distance, that’s what defines the skyline in Hamburg’s HafenCity district. But for masonry contractors and suppliers, the real story starts at the base.

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More