Letters To My Younger Self Summary
Stephanie Gannaway
EDUC 2301
Article Review #1
Fall, 2015
Shafto, E. (2011, September). Letters to my younger self. Educational Leadership What would you say if you could go back in time and speak to your younger self, especially at a critical period of development? In Letters to My Younger Self, the author thinks back to her painful struggles with timed mathematics tests during her second grade year, and the teacher’s response to those struggles. The trigger for these distressing memories is walking into a second-grade classroom as a teacher’s assistant for the first time, where Shafto (2011) recalls her own second grade year and the memories of when she was diagnosed with a learning disability. At that time and in that place, she felt discouraged, her self-esteem …show more content…
She tells her that she will soon move beyond timed math tests, and even better news, she will discover her talents lie as an advanced reader and a skilled writer. Perhaps the biggest point she makes to little Emilie is the realization that the learning disability that the teacher and others used to define her, was an opportunity that she used to adapt and learn in different ways. She, in fact, excelled at overcoming things that were difficult for her, like the timed mathematics tests. These challenges helped her develop the gift of persistence and the ability to appreciate hard-won successes. I was a bit inspired by Shafto (2011) and actually wanted to respond to her. She had a unique perspective, looking back on how far she had come from her own second grade class, and the train of thought that brought her to write letters to her younger self is a creative one. Perhaps she has learned even more life lessons that serve to form a sort of crystallized intelligence she can help use to shape young minds in the future. Things that won’t necessarily be found in a textbook, but are the kinds of things that time and maturity and perspective can provide. If I could write
EDUC 2301
Article Review #1
Fall, 2015
Shafto, E. (2011, September). Letters to my younger self. Educational Leadership What would you say if you could go back in time and speak to your younger self, especially at a critical period of development? In Letters to My Younger Self, the author thinks back to her painful struggles with timed mathematics tests during her second grade year, and the teacher’s response to those struggles. The trigger for these distressing memories is walking into a second-grade classroom as a teacher’s assistant for the first time, where Shafto (2011) recalls her own second grade year and the memories of when she was diagnosed with a learning disability. At that time and in that place, she felt discouraged, her self-esteem …show more content…
She tells her that she will soon move beyond timed math tests, and even better news, she will discover her talents lie as an advanced reader and a skilled writer. Perhaps the biggest point she makes to little Emilie is the realization that the learning disability that the teacher and others used to define her, was an opportunity that she used to adapt and learn in different ways. She, in fact, excelled at overcoming things that were difficult for her, like the timed mathematics tests. These challenges helped her develop the gift of persistence and the ability to appreciate hard-won successes. I was a bit inspired by Shafto (2011) and actually wanted to respond to her. She had a unique perspective, looking back on how far she had come from her own second grade class, and the train of thought that brought her to write letters to her younger self is a creative one. Perhaps she has learned even more life lessons that serve to form a sort of crystallized intelligence she can help use to shape young minds in the future. Things that won’t necessarily be found in a textbook, but are the kinds of things that time and maturity and perspective can provide. If I could write