by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Tijuana Hairston has two jobs, both of which require a calm demeanor and a lot of patience.
From August through May, the Sandersville, Ga. native is a physical education teacher at the School of Success Academy, but during the summer she can be found at one of the four security checkpoints at the Duval County Courthouse, where Hairston is a guard.
“I love both my jobs,” said Hairston, who moved to Jacksonville while still in elementary school. “I don’t think I could pick one over the other. They’re both interesting to me in their own ways and fun. I think they actually compliment each other pretty well so it works out great.”
Hairston, a graduate of Ribault High School who has been teaching for over eight years, came to the courthouse just over two years ago, but not as guard. She needed to pay a traffic fine.
“I walked in and got checked and thought it looked interesting. I guess you could say it piqued my curiosity” she said. “I went in, paid my ticket and when I walked out, I started asking some questions about how the guards got their jobs. I have my summers off so I thought it would be nice to make some extra money. They gave me a number and I called it. I really didn’t have to think twice. I’ve always had an interest in law enforcement and teaching. I figured this would give me a chance to do both.”
Hairston’s brother is also a security officer.
Within three weeks, Hairston was tested, trained and on the job with Wackenhut Security.
“I was little nervous on that first day,” she said. “I think that comes with any job, though. You just have to learn what’s what before you really get comfortable. Now, I really like it. It can be exciting because you have a lot of responsibility. You just have to make sure that you pay attention.”
Hairston said her friends are equally excited for her.
“They think it’s incredible,” she said. “They’ve been really supportive of my decision to do this which makes it even better.”
Do Hairston’s students know of her “double life?”
“Most of them don’t,” she said. “The few that do are completely shocked when they see me though. They all think that I have the authority to arrest them or something like that, which I don’t. It’s still funny to see their faces. They usually say, ‘Coach Hairston, you’re with the police?’ ”
On Aug. 1, Hairston returns to school, and despite the love for both her jobs, she ready to go when it’s time.
“When you start, you understand that it’s temporary,” she said. “It would be too hard to do both at the same time, but I miss it. I love interacting with all the people. That’s definitely my favorite part.”
Though her favorite part of the job, Hairston said many times an impatient adult in the courthouse is much worse than any child in school.
“A lot of people might be in a little bit of a bad mood when they come here because they have to be in court or they need to pay a fine. They can have bad attitudes that are much worse than the kids, much worse.”
And what if Hairston were to show up on the first day of school in uniform?
“That would be hilarious,” she said. “I think I would get a mixed response though. Some of the kids wouldn’t know what to do. The others wouldn’t be phased. But don’t get me wrong, both of my jobs require you to be tough and I think I am.”