Posted in the back of Janet Hyman’s classroom are class photos from every year, with every class, she has taught.
For someone in her 28th year of teaching, it’s quite the handful of photos.
Hyman is not only in her 28th year at Newington Elementary; she has always taught fifth grade. She teaches gifted math as well as science and social studies, though she has taught every subject over the years.
Hyman started her teaching career at Newington. She went to college at Florida State University, where she got her undergraduate degree in elementary education. She said that at the time it was hard to find a job in teaching so she began working for a title insurance company.
Hyman got married the same year she graduated college and she continued with title insurance as they moved around. She had both of her daughters in Florida and eventually the family moved to and fell in love with Summerville.
Hyman started volunteering at Summerville Elementary, where her children went to school at the time. She then got into substituting and decided to finally pursue her desire to teach.
She got her teaching certificate renewed for the state and started teaching at Newington in 1989.
She also got her master’s degree in elementary education through the University of Charleston – a graduate program at the College of Charleston.
She said she wanted to become a teacher because she loves children.
“I love to see the expression on their face when they see something that they didn’t get before,” she said.
Hyman has experience with both self-contained fifth grade and team-teaching. She said her partner really enjoys language arts while Hyman’s favorite subject is math.
However, she said math was not her strong suit when she was in school. Hyman said she thinks she can really explain it to the children.
“I feel like I have the patience and I feel like I have the…ability to be able to reach them with different ways and different methods that will help them master that task,” she said.
Hyman dotes on her team at Newington Elementary, saying they do things together outside of school as well as at school.
“We’re just like a well-oiled machine,” she said.
Hyman said her best experience with teaching is when the children she has taught previously come back and see her and tell her how they’re doing and how successful they are. Students who are now in college will sometimes come and visit when they are on a break from school
“I love to hear about what they’re doing, what their jobs are,” she said.
Hyman has actually taught several of the children of former students.
Her worst experience is seeing a student who has lost a parent – or is going through a hardship of that kind – and helping them adjust to being at school and continue being successful.
On early release days Hyman does the science club at Newington Elementary. She is on the math committee. She said Newington implements the Leader In Me program, which teaches leadership and life skills to students, and Hyman said she thinks it is a really great program for the students.
Hyman has been nominated multiple times for Teacher of the Year at Newington.
She said her professional goal is to be dedicated to what she does to make her students the best they can be.
“I will work hard to do that and not let anything get in my way, I’ll just continue on working hard to make sure each and every child gets what they need,” she said.
She has been married to her husband, Craig, for 42 years. They have two daughters: Michelle Hyman works for Channel 5 and Ashley Hyman is a dentist with offices in West Ashley and North Charleston.
Hyman has a female 3-year-old Jack Russell terrier named Sophie and she also keeps fish in her classroom.
Hyman said her purpose in life outside of school is shopping and said she loves “the hunt for the deal.” She said it is her relaxation and she will eat lunch out either with people or solo.
As a family they like to go to the mountains around Hendersonville, either on their own or with a group of friends.
Hyman said her life goal is to continue to be successful with her career and when it is time for her to retire she will find another purpose. She said she has often thought that when she retires she would like to find a way to work with people; she said she is an organized person and would like to help people who do not have anybody to help them, as long as she is able to do it.
For school, she said she wants to continue to work as long as she able to make a difference in her students.
Her favorite thing about Newington is that it’s her home away from home.
“We’re like family here,” she said. “If anybody has any issues, problems, we’re all there for each other – and that’s not just my team, that’s the whole school.”
