I am not even sure where to start....I feel like summer break was years ago and that I am in the full time working routine and I have only worked 13 days.......I have said all summer I will not believe this is all true until Bryson is sitting in a classroom and I have my 1st pay check, so tomorrow this should all be OFFICIAL!!!
At this point I am happy to have a minute to sit and reflect on the changes that have occurred over the past 2 weeks...
I feel like we are running full speed and there is no end in sight....I love my job and I am learning daily what the defined role truly is...I hope that I will get a handle on everything that needs to be done before too long, but right now, I am managing day to day....
My job so far is LOTS of emails with concerns, questions, how to, what do I do....which is totally fine, I just don't have all the answers yet...I have been to all of my schools this week and then some (I totaled 9 Tuesday and 10 yesterday) so once the running is over I hope to focus on the brand new EC teacher that I get to work with along with the others that I already feel connected to...I have a schedule planned which makes me feel better knowing that one day soon the schedule will dictate my day...instead of running here and there and everywhere.
Although through running all over Iredell County I have made connection, after connection, after connection....with people that I use to see at the bank, people that know my parents, people that know someone that I know, people I went to elementary school with...teachers I had at West Middle....AND I walked down the hallway at West High the other day to the exact spot Brooks asked me out on a date....I am so excited about all the connections and the chance to be apart of the community that I have lived in my whole life....
I got to see my favorite Speech Therapist on one of my runs the other day and she quoted best of all "we are HOME"
For the 1st time in 10 years I didn't have to work open house as a teacher, I did however have to work open house as a parent, but for soccer reasons...On the 1st day of school I got to travel around and visit my teachers and schools, I got to meet some really cool, neat elementary kids, see former students on their 1st day of middle school.....walk the halls during the chaos of class change at the high school....it was a really good 1st day for me....
Bryson has had a little harder of a transition than I hoped for....but he is my kid so I am not totally surprised....he misses his friends at Stony Point and the fact that mom is not next door was a bit of a culture shook on Monday....pretty sure he found everything there is to find that is different compared to SP...down to the chairs in the cafeteria....I am hopeful as each day passes that he will love Scotts just as much as SP, its just going to take some time to learn the new place and I keep trying to tell him 2nd grade is gong to be WAY different anywhere he is than Kindergarten and 1st! I have been very pleased with Scotts...I feel like there are several people that we know already that are willing to watch over him when its needed and I was very impressed that the Music teacher knew his name yesterday as we passed her in hall....AND there is a certain soccer mom that has her eye on him a couple days a week!!!
Tonight Britan has preschool open house....I am very excited for her and this new adventure. She is such a little social butterfly and I think she will thrive on the chance to learn and grow.....this is where her and her brother are COMPLETE opposites!
Hope you all have had a great 1st week of school or just a great week in general.....
I am very thankful for a long weekend....
Much love, Alysha
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Change can be a GOOD thing!
WOW! That word sums up the ride that we have been riding all summer.....SO many changes, SO little time, and SO happy and excited about them ALL!
Thinking back to this time last year and how depressed I was about going back to work and how I skipped the 1st workday just to have one more day with the kids....and now today....I LOVE my job!
And how 8 (short) weeks ago I was devastated that I had been moved to another school and thinking how am I ever going to overcome this....and NOW look! One thing the EC Director & Associate Superindents said to me the day I left for summer break that speaks volumes to me now "have you been praying for a change"..."yes"......their response "well here ya go".....THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! This is the exact change I have been praying for!!!!!!!!
SO we ALL are making new transitions this month....here's a rundown.....
Brooks: BECAME a Co-Director of the WISA soccer program last week......meaning we are ONLY adding more soccer to our life! He and his co-director (NOT ME) are holding sign-ups for soccer teams this fall...kids ages 4-14.....and he is still helping coach at the high school.... #soccerlife
Alysha: STARTED a new job on Monday, with a new challenge, a new job description, a chance to further my career, and OPPORTUNITY to do more!!!!!!! One of the 1st things said Monday morning....if you are here in this position....you must love organization!! YES.....Hello.....THATS ME!!! My new job will be LOTS of planning, scheduling and living by a strict calendar! I am SUPER excited for this job!!!!!
Bryson: IS EXCITED to start school at Scotts and I am excited too...b/c I get to plan my schedule to be at his school one day a week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is also excited for his soccer season to begin and use some of his new foot skills he learned at soccer camp!!!
Britan: WILL start preschool on September 4th although she doesn't understand what that means yet....I am positive she will love going to school 3 days a week from 9-1....and enjoy her lunch in her Hello Kitty lunchbox!
We are all excited for all of these new changes and excitement in the weeks to come!
If you have a little one that would like to play soccer let me know and I can direct you to the right person!!!
Thanks for reading and supporting us ALWAYS!!!
2 posts in 1 day....IMPRESSIVE wouldn't ya say!!! (especially now that I can mark it off my list)
Much love, Alysha
Thinking back to this time last year and how depressed I was about going back to work and how I skipped the 1st workday just to have one more day with the kids....and now today....I LOVE my job!
And how 8 (short) weeks ago I was devastated that I had been moved to another school and thinking how am I ever going to overcome this....and NOW look! One thing the EC Director & Associate Superindents said to me the day I left for summer break that speaks volumes to me now "have you been praying for a change"..."yes"......their response "well here ya go".....THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! This is the exact change I have been praying for!!!!!!!!
SO we ALL are making new transitions this month....here's a rundown.....
Brooks: BECAME a Co-Director of the WISA soccer program last week......meaning we are ONLY adding more soccer to our life! He and his co-director (NOT ME) are holding sign-ups for soccer teams this fall...kids ages 4-14.....and he is still helping coach at the high school.... #soccerlife
Alysha: STARTED a new job on Monday, with a new challenge, a new job description, a chance to further my career, and OPPORTUNITY to do more!!!!!!! One of the 1st things said Monday morning....if you are here in this position....you must love organization!! YES.....Hello.....THATS ME!!! My new job will be LOTS of planning, scheduling and living by a strict calendar! I am SUPER excited for this job!!!!!
Bryson: IS EXCITED to start school at Scotts and I am excited too...b/c I get to plan my schedule to be at his school one day a week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is also excited for his soccer season to begin and use some of his new foot skills he learned at soccer camp!!!
Britan: WILL start preschool on September 4th although she doesn't understand what that means yet....I am positive she will love going to school 3 days a week from 9-1....and enjoy her lunch in her Hello Kitty lunchbox!
We are all excited for all of these new changes and excitement in the weeks to come!
If you have a little one that would like to play soccer let me know and I can direct you to the right person!!!
Thanks for reading and supporting us ALWAYS!!!
2 posts in 1 day....IMPRESSIVE wouldn't ya say!!! (especially now that I can mark it off my list)
Much love, Alysha
~Happy 2nd Birthday & 2 Weeks Britan~
I really wanted to share some of Britan's highlights from the past year and her party before now....BUT been a little crazy....
Our Sweet, Hilarious, Outgoing, Not Completely Bald Anymore, Amazing, Little Girl turned 2, 2 weeks ago! This little bundle of joy makes us laugh about something daily! She is so independent and outgoing and the complete opposite of her brother.
Here are some of her highlights from the past year.....ENJOY....I hope she will one day!!
Our Sweet, Hilarious, Outgoing, Not Completely Bald Anymore, Amazing, Little Girl turned 2, 2 weeks ago! This little bundle of joy makes us laugh about something daily! She is so independent and outgoing and the complete opposite of her brother.
Here are some of her highlights from the past year.....ENJOY....I hope she will one day!!
Carrigan Farms
14 months old
Her 2nd Halloween as a Peacock
15 months
Britan has been a good eater since day 1!!
Just sometimes its not the healthiest!!
Christmas Morning!
Very bald in this pic...
She loves babies and the stuff that comes with them!
Her 1st snow, as you can tell it was a REAL blizzard!
18 months old
She's a shopper...her daddy is in serious trouble!!
19 months old we cruised with Mickey and Friends
She LOVED and still does ALL characters....
she walks up, turns around and says cheese!
20 months
With our world of soccer...there is no doubt she will play!
21 months old
Busted her lip at Tanglewood
Loves animals!
22 months old
She's a beach and water girl...took a little bit to love the sand, but she does now!
As you can see I can't leave her alone long b/c she will climb on anything...
Happy 2nd Birthday Britan Rae
Thanks to her Uncle Lane for making Hello Kitty come true!
We are thankful everyday for this sweet girl that we can call our very own Britan Rae! No time for proofing and much more to share about all the transitions the Derting's are making in this month of August....stay tuned.......
Much Love...Happy Wednesday....Alysha
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Still a Warrior....but now there's more!
I want to start with a quote that I wish I had seen about 6 weeks ago...but it now makes complete sense why I have stumbled upon it now....
"If God shuts a door, stop banging on it! Trust that whatever is behind it is not meant for you"
As most know my sweet, amazing husband surprised me with a little TN getaway 3 weeks ago...which was the day that I shared with the (fb) world my NEW job at West! I was SUPER excited for the chance to go back to where I came from and begin a new chapter of my life with hope that this would be a way in the door in ISS! Well, most don't know that I have been applying and interviewing for a position in Alexander and ISS for about 4 years....I have been on 6 interviews for this same position...one this time last year in ISS, one in November in AC and 1 AGAIN in ISS in May.
Every time I felt like I was getting a little closer to this "next step" in my career path, but every time was not the right time. This is a position that most don't understand unless you have EC knowledge and most think would not be much fun staring at EC paperwork. The title of this position is Program Specialist. This position is designed for support of EC teachers at their schools, compliance with EC paperwork (there is LOTS of paperwork for EC teachers), and other things that I am not even sure of at this moment.....BUT I have ALWAYS said when I got my Masters that this was a job that I would, one day, want to determine whether or not I want to go further with my career....go back to school and get my doctorate in EC being the final goal. And as the years have passed and the kids are growing I have gotten comfortable with my job and the fact that there is no studying and pushing myself to do more......WELL after the past 6 weeks things have certainly changed...my comfort zone is GONE and probably will not return for some time!
Anyway....back to TN....the 2nd day we were there I said to Brooks...just let me check my email really quick....this is not that normal...I normally don't care that much about my email, but I wanted to check it....so I opened it to find.............................................................Alysha, we have recently had a program specialist resign and if you are interested, the job is yours........................WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT......................HOW DID THIS HAPPEN...................WHAT DO I DO?..................................OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So our sweet little trip, took a little detour for a couple of hours while I processed the fact that on June 10th...I was assigned to a new position in AC....on July 1st I was offered a VERY exciting position at West........................and now on July 11th I have now been offered the PS position that I have so desperately been wanting for years.......................Please note I do realize HOW FORTUNATE I AM AND I AM MORE THAN GRATEFUL FOR THE CHANCE AT 1 JOB MUCH LESS 3! I had no idea when I walked out the doors of Stony Point in June what I was going to do...I knew that the new position I had been "reassigned" to was probably the best place other than SP for me in AC, but I still didn't have peace and felt the need to search further....
So now what...............I, in no way want to hurt West or the relationship that could be built there........b/c I have been on the other side of that fence (June 10th) and that side is not fun! I called the lady and told her of my dilemma...my paperwork was in the process at HR for West...she was very kind and said it will be a week before I get back to you about this situation...the lady in HR is on vacation and I don't know what to do..I understood...I was completely with her...NO clue what to do! SO I thought about it and prayed about it and had honestly let it go by midweek of that week...I was going to stick it out at West and be thankful for the opportunity they have given me....no worries.....
And then Thursday morning came and a voicemail at 7:45 am....The EC Dept from ISS...give us a call......I put it off all morning....and even told Brooks when I call back I have a feeling I am going to accept......so midday I called back.....I had two apprehensions about this position 1) How will West react 2) What schools will I be at??? If I was going to be assigned to schools at the lake or North Iredell then this was a done deal...staying at West....I am not going to drive that far from home and that far from the kids..................SO I asked the million dollar question "what schools will I be assigned to"...there are 6...........among the 6 are West Middle, West High and SCOTTS.............................WELP DONE DEAL....how could I turn this down....this is the EXACT job that I have been dreaming about for 4 years...that close to home...the chance to still be at West....the chance to be with Bryson at Scotts!!!!!!
BUT West was still in the back of my mind...I told her I needed some time to talk to Brooks, pray A LOT and make things right with West..............................This has been a huge struggle for me and I have been back and forth with this for 2 weeks. I called lots of colleagues and friends and asked for advice....all of which said TAKE IT and then I called West and the AP wasn't there and was out till Monday............so I waited till last Monday
8:00 am.....I spoke with the AP that had so kindly interviewed me and was kind to me and given me the opportunity to be at West.................I told her my situation and thankfully the conversation went ok....I completely understand that this is not a good scenario for them but I truly think that this has happened for a really good reason...........and I have promised that I will do the BEST job I can in this new position and I will still be a Warrior......so if you know any new EC Teachers out there or someone that maybe interested in working at a GREAT school let me know!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally I think that I am ready to begin the new school year....every week of this summer break has been dealing with some sort of work related situations....I HOPE that this FINAL week of Summer for me will go really slowllllly and that we can have some downtime because we haven't all Summer. With the new position I will work 2 extra weeks....the week before teachers come back and the week after they leave for summer.
This is it....the next step....I am so excited and terrified to start this new journey...I closed a major door the other day, I got all of my stuff from SP and said good bye to 8 years of my career in AC. I am thankful for the experience and knowledge I gained while I was there and the friendships that I made......
I am truly grateful to begin this new journey of my career. I am excited to be taking the next step up the EC ladder, I am hopeful that I can be a good mentor, leader and helper to the EC teachers out there that I will be working with! AND I can't say thanks enough to West Iredell and ISS EC Department for believing in me and trusting me with 2 AMAZING positions!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for reading...............this should be it for the career roller coaster for a few years (I hope)!
Much Love, Alysha
"If God shuts a door, stop banging on it! Trust that whatever is behind it is not meant for you"
As most know my sweet, amazing husband surprised me with a little TN getaway 3 weeks ago...which was the day that I shared with the (fb) world my NEW job at West! I was SUPER excited for the chance to go back to where I came from and begin a new chapter of my life with hope that this would be a way in the door in ISS! Well, most don't know that I have been applying and interviewing for a position in Alexander and ISS for about 4 years....I have been on 6 interviews for this same position...one this time last year in ISS, one in November in AC and 1 AGAIN in ISS in May.
Every time I felt like I was getting a little closer to this "next step" in my career path, but every time was not the right time. This is a position that most don't understand unless you have EC knowledge and most think would not be much fun staring at EC paperwork. The title of this position is Program Specialist. This position is designed for support of EC teachers at their schools, compliance with EC paperwork (there is LOTS of paperwork for EC teachers), and other things that I am not even sure of at this moment.....BUT I have ALWAYS said when I got my Masters that this was a job that I would, one day, want to determine whether or not I want to go further with my career....go back to school and get my doctorate in EC being the final goal. And as the years have passed and the kids are growing I have gotten comfortable with my job and the fact that there is no studying and pushing myself to do more......WELL after the past 6 weeks things have certainly changed...my comfort zone is GONE and probably will not return for some time!
Anyway....back to TN....the 2nd day we were there I said to Brooks...just let me check my email really quick....this is not that normal...I normally don't care that much about my email, but I wanted to check it....so I opened it to find.............................................................Alysha, we have recently had a program specialist resign and if you are interested, the job is yours........................WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT......................HOW DID THIS HAPPEN...................WHAT DO I DO?..................................OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So our sweet little trip, took a little detour for a couple of hours while I processed the fact that on June 10th...I was assigned to a new position in AC....on July 1st I was offered a VERY exciting position at West........................and now on July 11th I have now been offered the PS position that I have so desperately been wanting for years.......................Please note I do realize HOW FORTUNATE I AM AND I AM MORE THAN GRATEFUL FOR THE CHANCE AT 1 JOB MUCH LESS 3! I had no idea when I walked out the doors of Stony Point in June what I was going to do...I knew that the new position I had been "reassigned" to was probably the best place other than SP for me in AC, but I still didn't have peace and felt the need to search further....
So now what...............I, in no way want to hurt West or the relationship that could be built there........b/c I have been on the other side of that fence (June 10th) and that side is not fun! I called the lady and told her of my dilemma...my paperwork was in the process at HR for West...she was very kind and said it will be a week before I get back to you about this situation...the lady in HR is on vacation and I don't know what to do..I understood...I was completely with her...NO clue what to do! SO I thought about it and prayed about it and had honestly let it go by midweek of that week...I was going to stick it out at West and be thankful for the opportunity they have given me....no worries.....
And then Thursday morning came and a voicemail at 7:45 am....The EC Dept from ISS...give us a call......I put it off all morning....and even told Brooks when I call back I have a feeling I am going to accept......so midday I called back.....I had two apprehensions about this position 1) How will West react 2) What schools will I be at??? If I was going to be assigned to schools at the lake or North Iredell then this was a done deal...staying at West....I am not going to drive that far from home and that far from the kids..................SO I asked the million dollar question "what schools will I be assigned to"...there are 6...........among the 6 are West Middle, West High and SCOTTS.............................WELP DONE DEAL....how could I turn this down....this is the EXACT job that I have been dreaming about for 4 years...that close to home...the chance to still be at West....the chance to be with Bryson at Scotts!!!!!!
BUT West was still in the back of my mind...I told her I needed some time to talk to Brooks, pray A LOT and make things right with West..............................This has been a huge struggle for me and I have been back and forth with this for 2 weeks. I called lots of colleagues and friends and asked for advice....all of which said TAKE IT and then I called West and the AP wasn't there and was out till Monday............so I waited till last Monday
8:00 am.....I spoke with the AP that had so kindly interviewed me and was kind to me and given me the opportunity to be at West.................I told her my situation and thankfully the conversation went ok....I completely understand that this is not a good scenario for them but I truly think that this has happened for a really good reason...........and I have promised that I will do the BEST job I can in this new position and I will still be a Warrior......so if you know any new EC Teachers out there or someone that maybe interested in working at a GREAT school let me know!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally I think that I am ready to begin the new school year....every week of this summer break has been dealing with some sort of work related situations....I HOPE that this FINAL week of Summer for me will go really slowllllly and that we can have some downtime because we haven't all Summer. With the new position I will work 2 extra weeks....the week before teachers come back and the week after they leave for summer.
This is it....the next step....I am so excited and terrified to start this new journey...I closed a major door the other day, I got all of my stuff from SP and said good bye to 8 years of my career in AC. I am thankful for the experience and knowledge I gained while I was there and the friendships that I made......
I am truly grateful to begin this new journey of my career. I am excited to be taking the next step up the EC ladder, I am hopeful that I can be a good mentor, leader and helper to the EC teachers out there that I will be working with! AND I can't say thanks enough to West Iredell and ISS EC Department for believing in me and trusting me with 2 AMAZING positions!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for reading...............this should be it for the career roller coaster for a few years (I hope)!
Much Love, Alysha
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