Mother of three juggles two jobs while setting sights on being a certified coach

NICHAEL GARCIA Hyman, a single mother of three, knows what struggle is all about as she balances her job as a janitor and a coach at the Wood Hall Primary School in Clarendon, and still hangs on to her dream of being a certified coach.

With her eldest 13-year-old, Devon Thompson, a first-former at Edwin Allen High School, her second child Trisanya in grade three at the school she works and the third being just one year old, she often finds herself overwhelmed.

“It’s very challenging bad, because sometimes I get real frustrated, down and depressed,” she shared with The Gleaner.

Compounding her frustration, Hyman said she only has a single phone which must be shared between her older children for their online classes.

“Sometimes my son has to miss classes to let his sister enter her class and sometimes my daughter has to miss class for my son class and it get them very frustrated, even myself,” she said.

Hyman said she was hopeful things could have improved when she applied to receive a device under the Tablet in Schools Programme. However, she received no calls or text message, which left her feeling disappointed as her children continue to take turns to use the phone for their classes.

With a young baby in the mix, Hyman said sometimes she leaves him at a day care close to her workplace, which puts a further strain on her finances. Replenishing the data on her phone also cuts into her already small income.

GRATEFUL FOR SUPPORT

Still, with all her challenges, Hyman is expressing gratitude for the support system, she has been receiving at school.

“The teachers at the school, they try to motivate me a lot and whenever my daughter cannot enter class, I would call in and let them know that my son is going to have video class all day and they will understand and tell me ‘OK, when your son finish class you can let your daughter go on the Google Classroom and do her work’,” Hyman explained.

A past student of Edwin Allen High School, Hyman said she was a member of the track team but financial problems faced by her mother after she fell sick saw her dropping out of school and never getting an opportunity to return.

Her dream of being a certified track and field coach is alive and her hope is that one day she can attend GC Foster College to be certified.

“I would really, really need help for that because I know I can do it and I know I will make it,” she shared. Hyman said she volunteers her services at track meets at the National Stadium and is acknowledged by coaches, but that is as far as it goes because without certification, she cannot get a job as a coach. “I would really love if I could go to GC foster College, get some help to go there and finish up,” she said.