Making a Career with Two Jobs and Three Children

By ALEXIS MURPHY
Contributing Writer

Single motherhood isn’t easy, especially while going to college as a fulltime student and working two jobs. Linda Taylor, 33, is a personal care aid for All Metro Health Care as well as working at Parsons Early Head Start as a teacher to all students, including Parson’s special needs. All Metro Health Care is an agency in Schenectady which employs personal care aids to take care of elderly people at their home.
Taylor is a current resident of Schenectady where she grew up in the area until she was nine, then moved to Providence, RI. She moved back to the area when she was pregnant with her daughter, which is her third child. Taylor initially moved back to the area because she had more family support and “I am simple girl, I like my small towns” She said.
Being able to have that family support, Taylor knew that she wanted a career to be able to support her family. She attended Schenectady County Community College where she graduated with an associates in early childhood education. Taylor is continuing her education in early childhood at The College of Saint Rose.
Two days during the week she volunteers at the Pine Hills Elementary School where she works with 6th graders on the STEM Project. Taylor is also assigned her own student that she works with one on one.
Taylor works 36 hours between her jobs at All Metro Health Care and Parson’s Early Head Start, making $12 an hour for All Metro. She is certified as a personal care aid and in traumatic brain injury care. Although she is certified to work with people with brain injuries she chooses not to because it is emotionally distressful.
On Fridays and Sundays, she takes care of an elderly lady, 93, in Saratoga who had a stroke. She helps her move around her apartment, prepare meals, do light house cleaning and take care of personal hygiene. The lady Taylor works with watches the cooking channel all day and she knows when she changes the channel.
At Parson’s Early Head Start Taylor earns $10.30 an hour. Here she works on the other end of the age spectrum with toddlers. She is assigned her own classroom where she teaches with another teacher. There are eight students in the classroom and each teacher has four. During the day they conduct different activities for the students and keep a daily chart for each child. Taylor likes working with two year olds but “they’re a lot” she said.
“She is always upbeat, high spirited person who comes to work ready to get things done. She is dedicated and someone you can rely on” Terry Ann, the teacher Taylor works with, said.
Taylor is a strong, independent, courageous mother making her dream come true while supporting and providing for her family. “I look up to her because of her perseverance and her personality” Crystal Hodge a friend of Taylor said. She is able to instill in her kids to finish school, get their education and wait to have kids.
Being that she is an example to her kids by going to school and working, her children often ask her questions. Before she left for school one morning this is when she received a question from her eldest son.
“Ma why do you go to school now?”
“I took some time to take care of you and now I work. I knew I had to do something and I wanted a career to take care of my kids,” She responded.
Taylor splits her time in between two jobs, attending school as a full-time student and raising three kids, ages 14, 11, and 7. A close friend of Taylor, Crystal Hodge, was dealing with a domestic violence case and she needed help getting her things from her old house. At the time Taylor was not home and Hodge had called her to ask for help to get her belongings. “She came in a drop of a hat to help me get my things from the house. I would throw things down the steps and Linda would pack her car” Crystal Hodge said. She was able to help her close friend, even if she may have been busy.
“She always talks about her family and loves her family dearly and always has a mother instinct. She’s always there, has your back and is understanding” Taylors co-worker at All Metro Health Care said.