WHO KNOWS MAYBE ONE DAY YOU’LL END UP WITH AN ARCHITECTURAL CAREER – LIKE BEING A STONE MASON. IT’S SOMETHING THAT OUR FRIENDS AT THINKTV AND C-E-T ARE LEARNING ABOUT IN THIS WEEK’S SPECIAL CAREER LAB. LET’S TAKE A LOOK.
PJ: BRUSHING UP ON CAREERS IN DENTISTRY?
QUINN: THAT’S RIGHT, EVERYONE NEEDS HEALTHY TEETH. ASIDE FROM BEING A DENTIST, YOU CAN ALSO BE A DENTAL ASSISTANT.
MAX: THEY HELP DENTISTS CLEAN, POLISH, AND EVEN FIX TEETH. THEY ALSO TAKE X-RAYS. PRETTY COOL.
PJ: I’VE BEEN RESEARCHING THE CAREER OF HISTORIAN. THEY STUDY AND SHARE KNOWLEDGE OF PAST EVENTS, LIKE THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD, LIKE THE GREAT PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT. HEY, DID YOU KNOW THAT ANCIENT EGYPTIANS PRACTICED DENTISTRY?
WOMAN’S VOICE: ATTENTION. ATTENTION. THE OFFICE OF THE ALPHABET IS CALLING WITH AN URGENT CAREER REQUEST. PLEASE STAND BY.
MAX: HOLD THAT THOUGHT. IT’S TIME TO SHARE SOME MODERN KNOWLEDGE. THIS TIME, IT’S THE LETTER S. SUPERB!
QUINN: A CAREER THAT STARTS WITH THE LETTER S. THERE ARE SO MANY POSSIBILITIES…SYSTEMS ANALYST.
PJ: SOCIAL WORKER.
MAX: SOFTWARE DEVELOPER.
QUINN: SURGEON.
PJ: SURVEYOR. MAYBE SOMEONE LIKE GEORGE WASHINGTON, WHO MAPPED OUT ENTIRE TRACTS OF LAND WITH HIS COMPASS BEFORE BECOMING PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
MAX: WAIT, DIDN’T A DENTIST MAKE FALSE TEETH FOR GEORGE WASHINGTON?
PJ: STONEMASON? DON’T THEY WORK IN CONSTRUCTION?
QUINN: THAT’S RIGHT. BASED ON MY FINDINGS, IT’S A CAREER WITH A LONG AND HISTORICAL LEGACY…PROBABLY EVEN HELPED BUILD THOSE ANCIENT PYRAMIDS YOU WERE STUDYING. FOR THIS ONE, WE’RE GOING TO TALK TO KEVIN DAY WHO IS A STONEMASON.
PJ: HI, KEVIN! SO GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF SOME WORK THAT YOU DO AS A STONEMASON?
KEVIN DAY: TODAY, WE’RE GOING TO BE LAYING STONE ON PORCH COLUMNS. THE BASE OF IT
WAS BUILT WITH CONCRETE BLOCK WITH A MASONRY TROWEL AND A LEVEL. WE THEN USE
MANUFACTURED STONE, WHICH IS STUCK ONTO THE BLOCK, WITH MORTAR AND A TROWEL. AND WE THEN GROUT THE JOINTS WITH A MORTAR BAG AND THEN STRUCK OFF WITH A TUCK POINTER.
QUINN: CAN YOU TELL US HOW A STONEMASON PROJECT LIKE THAT HAPPENS?
KEVIN DAY: WELL, IT STARTS WITH THE OWNERS PICKING OUT THE MATERIALS THEY WANT, WHICH IS THE COLOR, AND THE PATTERN, AND DESIGN. THOSE ARE THEN DELIVERED TO THE JOB SITE. WE START THE PROJECT BY GETTING MATERIALS PREPPED. IF NECESSARY WE BUILD SCAFFOLDING TO REACH THE PROJECT. WE MIX THE MORTAR, AND THEN WE’D START LAYING THE STONE, WHICH IS WHAT WE’RE DOING TODAY.
PJ: BUILDING WALLS AND GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY SOUNDS GOOD TO ME. ARE THERE ANY OTHER TYPES OF WORK THAT STONEMASONS DO?
KEVIN DAY: MOST STONEMASONS, ON TOP OF LAYING STONE, THEY WOULD ALSO DO BRICK AND BLOCK WORK. BRICK AND STONE CAN BE USED IN WALLS OR WALKS, PATIOS, DRIVEWAYS. WE ALSO DO DECORATIVE CONCRETE WORK WHICH WOULD ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE BRICK OR STONE.
MAX: KEVIN, DO YOU EVER GET TO WORK ON CASTLES?
KEVIN DAY: I DON’T GET TO WORK ON CASTLES. DON’T SEE TOO MANY OF THOSE BEING BUILT
TODAY. WE DO GET TO WORK ON LARGE HOMES, THINGS LIKE MONUMENTS, AND INTERESTING
BUILDINGS.
QUINN: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR JOB?
KEVIN DAY: THE COOLEST THING ABOUT MY JOB IS THE SATISFACTION OF BUILDING SOMETHING. AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU CAN SEE THE WORK THAT WE’VE DONE, AND YOU CAN GO BACK YEARS LATER AND SEE THE FAMILIES ENJOYING THEIR PATIO OR THEIR FIREPLACE.
QUINN: THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR CAREER WITH US TODAY, KEVIN. IT’S GOING TO GIVE KIDS A GREAT HEAD START.
KEVIN DAY: THANKS FOR LETTING ME TALK TO YOU ABOUT BEING A STONEMASON, AND GOOD LUCK ON YOUR RESEARCH.
QUINN: SO YOU SEE, WITH STONEMASONRY YOU GET TO WORK WITH MODERN TOOLS AND
MATERIALS TO HELP CREATE STRUCTURES THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME.
PJ: YEAH, SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD HANDS-ON SPECIALTY TO GET INTO.
MAX: HEY, HOW ABOUT SOME HANDS-ON HELP WITH THIS CASTLE?
PJ: WHERE’S THE DRAGON’S LAIR?
QUINN: WHAT ABOUT THE DRAWBRIDGE?
Find Out More
Online Reference Book: U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Masonry Workers | How to become a stone mason and other related careers.
Website Article: Kids.net Encyclopedia, Masonry
Website Article: Masonry for Life, Masonry Basics | Explains the tools and materials masons use.