Words of SUPPORT ... Because it's just the right time!
This morning I woke up
and I felt inspired to
have a little ‘chat’ with you just as an English speaking friend and of course,
as a teacher also.I know that some of you at this point in the ESL classes and
lessons, might feel a bit or a lot overwhelmed.
Some of you might feel discouraged but then…. Some of you are OK and are feeling
quite confident.
As human beings we are
all naturally unique and certainly have different personalities… this is an
obvious fact. But then, we are all similar in a certain way especially when we
start learning or are challenged and we are out of our comfort zone. So my
message to you right now is one of reassurance, hope and support!! Remember I’m
your №1 cheerleader and I’m also the best coach you can find!!! HERE GOES!!!
AFRAID ABOUT MAKING
MISTAKES …
Native English
speakers DO NOT CARE
if you make a mistake when you are
speaking.
I repeat THEY DON’T CARE!!!
In fact, only
English teachers care… WHY?
The answer is obvious: YOU ARE LEARNING!!!
You’ll never learn
to speak fluently if you are
constantly afraid and worried of making mistakes.
I know that you
WORRY about making mistakes
when you speak English… I KNOW! I KNOW!!!
But here’s the thing: NOBODY CARES!
AGAIN… NOBODY CARES!!
You are talking to some Canadian, American or
Australian, they don’t care if you make a grammar mistake; they absolutely
don’t mind! They are talking to you as a human being. They just want to
communicate to you and with you. People don’t worry about your grammar or your
accent! Other people are NOT ENGLISH TEACHERS!!! They are not ‘grading’ you or
checking your verb tenses. The world isn’t filled with ESL teachers ;)
The worst thing you
can do is worry about mistakes,
BECAUSE:
► it prevents you from talking naturally to other
people
► it prevents you from the whole purpose of learning
which is TO CONNECT
WITH PEOPLE!
You want to communicate with them,
you want to share ideas and
opinions,
you might even make new friends!!! RIGHT!!?
SOOOO…. DO IT THE BEST WAY
YOU CAN:
Speak simply
Speak directly
Speak slowly
Speak as clearly as
you can!
It’s fine! It’s OK!
If the other person doesn’t understand you… You
will know! Because you will observe it and see it in their body language –
their face will tell you! Just like mine does in class! ;) It can be intimidating butttt… please, don’t
let that stop you!!! They can also ask you to repeat OR say: “WHAT? I’M SORRY!
I didn’t understand.
because my teacher loves me!!!
Have a nice weekend! SUZANNE
________________________________________
P.S. Here are another teacher’s words of encouragement:
ESl teacher, DAVE SCONDA "Straight
from the horse's mouth" (idiom)
«Be
courageous with language Learning-
don't
let any fear/bad feeling get in your way
you're
learning, mistakes are good, keep moving forward!»
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