Hello, Muskoka Early Years Professional Community! 


Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter in 2023 dedicated to the topic of REFLECTION. 


There is something special about transitioning from a past year to a new one. I am not sure truly why it is so, but the transition never fails to bring forth a feeling of anticipation, curiosity, and hope for a good year to come. As some of us may have been glad to see 2022 end, some of us were sorry to see it go, few remained impartial. Regardless which group you find yourself in, you most likely found yourself reflecting on the past year and perhaps even coming up with a few resolutions you are hoping to implement in the new year. However, if you came up with a few resolutions without going through the process of reflection, you are less likely to stick to them. The truth of the matter is, it is very hard to honour your resolutions without robust reflection, the kind that makes you explore deeply, dig thoughtfully, and asks for honesty and accountability. 


This edition of our newsletter is to facilitate meaningful and impactful reflection. 

   

As always, below you will find resources that you will, hopefully, find interesting, encouraging, and helpful. If you have any resources on the topic of reflection, that you would like to share with our Early Years Community, please send them my way. 


On a personal note, I am sharing with you a photo of a new year’s cake I made. Clearly, one of my resolutions for 2023 is NOT baking less!


Stay in touch, and do not forget to leave space for magic in 2023!

Kasia Oxley, Children’s Services Community Facilitator, Children’s Programs and Services
Work Cell: (705) 644-1533

Please note that the information contained in this newsletter is intended to encourage conversation and self-reflection and is not to be considered as advice. 

12 thoughtful end of year reflection questions to ask yourself


Time commitment: 12 minutes 8 seconds

Areas of interest: end of the year/beginning of the year reflections, self-reflection, planning, personal growth

Format: podcast episode 


There is so much power in self-reflection and yet we don’t do it enough!

But if there’s one time to buckle down and take a deep look at yourself, it’s right now–while all the successes, failures, and missed opportunities of last year are still fresh in your mind.  


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

12 end-of-year review questions: 

  • What were your biggest wins in 2022?
  • What were your greatest lessons?
  • What did you try that didn’t work out, but the process of trying it moved your thinking forward in a helpful way?
  • What simple pleasures have you especially enjoyed this year?
  • What was one of the biggest, pleasant surprises you experienced during the year?
  • What was a new habit or routine you created this year that has improved your efficiency at home or work?
  • What did you face head-on this year rather than avoiding, such as you dealt with credit card debt or a difficult conversation?
  • What do you want to experience more of in 2023?
  • What do you want to experience less of in 2023?
  • What’s one personal goal you’d like to see progress into next year?
  • What’s one professional or business goal you’d like to see progress into next year?
  • What’s one thing you want to clean up or let go of in 2023?

The Art of Reflection


Time commitment: 5 minutes 19 seconds

Areas of interest: serious thought, transformation, improving future outcomes

Format: video 


The Student Support Centre has a range of services dedicated to helping students make the most of their time at University, including: Advice & Money, Careers & Employability, Counselling, Health & Wellbeing, Disability & Dyslexia and International Student Support.


Click here for the video!

Try Reflection Instead of Resolution


Time commitment: 3 minutes 

Areas of interest: reflection, resolutions

Format: article


As another year comes to a close, it is easy to lose track of goals and routines. The act of creating resolutions for the new year is common, partly because each new year (like each new week and month) feels like a chance to start over. We like the idea of beginning again.


Click here for the article!

Gibbs 1998 Reflective Model Template


Time commitment: 5 minutes 

Areas of interest: practical tool for reflection process

Format: pdf template


Gibbs’s Reflective Cycle (Gibbs, 1998) helps you to understand and practice your reflective skills. Use the template to reflect on a recent event in which you demonstrated a reflected ability to improve or demonstrate the need for further learning or development. 

12 Questions To Reflect Upon As You Start A New Year


Time commitment: 5 minutes 

Areas of interest: self-reflection, goal setting

Format: article


The end of the year marks a threshold and invites a pause for reflection. It's a great time to take stock of the year behind and look ahead. Each year at this time, I write and reflect on 12 reflection questions for this very purpose.

Personal Annual Report Framework


Time commitment: varies depending on personal involvement  

Areas of interest: self-reflection, goal setting

Format: pdf, template


Questions to reflect on every year to help me get better results.

Please write to Kasia to let her know your thoughts on reflection or any other topic for a chance to win a resource of your choice (value of up to $50) 

EARLY YEARS PROFESSIONALS IN MUSKOKA

Pam Rennie

What is your current job, and how did you arrive at it, in other words why do you do what you do? 

My current position is Manager of EarlyON. For most of my adult life I have been in some form of education, as an EA, child care educator and teacher. I began this job 5 years ago and I am grateful for the team I work with who support the families of Muskoka.


Without disclosing confidential information, please tell me how your involvement within the early years profession created a better outcome for a child/family. 

As early years professionals, we know how formative the early years are to life long learning and success. I am privileged to have a team of dedicated professionals that engage with families on a daily basis. The advantage of EarlyON is our direct relationship with parents as well. Being able to build relationships with new parents, grandparents and caregivers provides a strong invested community for raising children.


What's most challenging about the work you do? 

I love to be challenged as it stimulates me and allows me to get creative in finding solutions. Without a doubt, the most challenging part of EarlyON is stretching ourselves to reach as many families as possible. We know there are many across the district who are still unaware of EarlyON, but creating pop-ups and participating in community events are just a few of the ways we are reaching out to families.

What do you like to do in your spare time? 

My spare time tends to be more quiet and reflective if I am not with friends. I enjoy reading, baking and most outdoor activities all year round – hiking, cross country skiing, kayaking etc.


What book/resource could you recommend to our readers? 

I am a big non-fiction reader and recently read, Finding the Mother Tree by Dr. Suzanne Simard. It is a beautiful story of the relationships between trees and how they support each other in times of disease, stress, fire etc. For a fictional book I would recommend All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.


What’s your favorite quote? 

One quote that I remind myself often of is Maya Angelou’s, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”


Who inspires you and why? 

A variety of people inspire me for different reasons, but on a daily basis I would have to say my children do, now in their 20’s. Watching them navigate adult life and make decisions, they challenge me and inspire me to be the best I can be.


In the last couple of years, what new belief, behavior, or habit, or item, has most improved your life? 

I think I have grown so much over the last few years, mainly in trusting my inner voice and sharing my perspective with others. I often felt that my interpretation of events/situations was different and not worthy of sharing, but now I recognize that it is just another perspective that deserves to be heard.


What advice would you give your teenage self? 

Remember to laugh


What would you take with you to a desert island? 

I think I would take a solar powered phone so I could continue to listen to podcasts and learn


Anything else that you would like to share? 

It is a privilege to be a part of the early learning community. I have worked with children since I was a day camp counsellor at the age of 15 in Toronto. Being able to see the world through their eyes of wonder brings me joy and working with a team of dedicated professionals is priceless. Thank you.

 

Fun Corner!

Click here ,or the picture above, to answer this month's question!



December 2022 winner:

Candace Cook

Congratulations Candace!


INSPIRATION CORNER

”The journey into self-love and self-acceptance must begin with self-examination… until you take the journey of self-reflection, it is almost impossible to grow or learn in life.” – Iyanla Vanzant

RECIPE CORNER!

Creamy Lentil Vegetable Soup


I made this delicious recipe a few weeks ago and found it most satisfying and warming on a winter night. Let me know if you decide to give it a go!


Word of the Month

FLIBBERTIGIBBET – a flibbertigibbet is someone who is silly and likes to gossip or daydream. 

MUSKOKA EARLY YEARS COMMUNITY MEMBER CONTRIBUTION 

Emily Kouyoumjian - Thank you Emily!


I wanted to share a vlogger I came across on YouTube. The video shares “5 Secrets Tidy People Know (that you might not)” the video is 12 minutes in length. 


Your home is going to get messy because you live in it! 


  • Number 1: You are what you repeatedly do 
  • Number 2: Discipline now or regret later (picking a task that you are committed to do every single day that takes only 15 minutes a day)
  • Number 3: Simplify your stuff (set alarm every day for 15 minutes to declutter something) do what you can do in those 15 minutes.) You’ll get in the habit of removing stuff as it comes into your house and assess whether or not it would be something you need in your home.) 
  • Number 4: Focusing on flat surfaces (focusing on the visual clutter first, this is the one that is causing extra stress, leading to poor sleep, procrastination, less productivity) it helps to focus on these steps first and then it can lead to decluttering.) 
  • Number 5: Spend time at home (in this generation you can get used to not spending a lot of time at home, basically if you are not home enough you aren’t going to be able to maintain your home. If you spend more time at home doing a task for 30 minutes this will give you more gratification. Vs just instant happiness by doing something. 


* When it comes to things that give us happiness there is - Pleasure = instant delights & Gratification = take work  (find the balance between both of these) 


This video is a good reminder in, It's true, we need to work on our homes every day a few minutes at a time. Decluttering along the way makes our future selves have less to manage. I’d love your insight on what you think about this little video.


Hope you have a great New Years!

In the News


Northern College opens new ECE lab in effort to meet growing demand. Click here for the article!

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