Get to know

Kyle Jelens

wmci High School Instructor & program manager

What made you first want to be a teacher?

I grew up knowing that I wanted to help people for the rest of my life. There was something about explaining new skills and giving advice that resonated with me. I knew I wanted to listen and help others and I found that in teaching.

Who was an influential teacher in your life growing up?

My 4th grade teacher was extremely influential to me growing up. Mrs. Loranger embraced my high energy and goofy personality. She featured me as a student helper and the kid who could help make the class more fun. I didn’t know that I needed that guidance until she gave me that attention. She helped me learn to love school and lean into my personality.

Kyle with his wife Lexie and son James.

What are your goals for this school year?

For WMCI

This year I want to add one more high school instructor and section of students. Longer term, I'm committed to helping WMCI become a household name as the standard for commercial construction education.

For Students

I want students to be excited about coming to class each day and share that this program was their favorite experience of their high school career.

For Myself

For my students to enjoy the class, I will make modules and lessons fun and engaging. It’s an exciting challenge because I read the content and listen to my students to find the best activity to keep them moving and learning.

How do you create an inclusive and welcoming classroom environment that accommodates diverse student backgrounds and learning styles?

I start Day 1 by telling my students about my philosophies about creating a safe and comfortable environment. I share my failures with my students to help show them that you don’t have to be perfect but there is a reason for the things we tell them. It’s about connecting with our students and sharing stories to learn about the other. Our classroom norm is that we should ask questions about differences before we assume.

I teach at WMCI because I love building relationships even more than I love building things. This instructor role allows me to do that as I guide my students to a meaningful career path in construction.

What is your “hard hat story?” How did you get introduced to the trades?

My dad worked at Pioneer Construction in the 1980s before eventually transitioning to residential carpentry. When I was younger, I would go out to our pole barn and play with my dad’s tools. I did little fixes around the house or building forts and I always loved learning new tricks and skills from my dad.

I worked from middle school to college with my dad. He told me to choose a path that was not the wear and tear lifestyle of construction. He said to use your brain and not your body.

I went into education but got disenchanted with the traditional style of teaching history. I wanted to create real and tangible things with my students! It was hard to make connections between my students and the static history lessons. I could tell they wanted to do something more meaningful with their time.

That’s why I was very excited for the opportunity to teach at WMCI. Our High School work based learning classes are action-packed and help students develop practicable (and employable!) skills. It’s an awesome feeling when you can see the pride in their faces after building something with their own hands – often for the very first time.

What advice do you give to your students?

Work hard and make sure that people know that you worked hard. It’s super important to put your best effort into all that you do and make sure you are honest about the work that you do. The construction industry expects work and will help earn you respect.
Be good people and citizens. Be open-minded and show empathy because that gets so much further into leadership roles.
Act in ways that you think will benefit you and not in ways that you think others want you to act. Ultimately, all that matters is your happiness. So don’t waste your time on things with no purpose.