Taking Mistakes

Taking Mistakes 

I always smile when my ESL students say, "I take mistakes." Why? Because there is a mistake in that sentence. You don't take mistakes, you make mistakes!

You're going to make A LOT of mistakes while you are learning English...I'm not going to sugarcoat* the truth, and tell you that learning English will be easy. But don't worry! Mistakes are good. They help you learn. Sometimes you make a really big mistake and you feel embarrassed. Those are the best mistakes because you really learn from them. You never make those mistakes again, And afterwards, you have a funny story to tell.

I decided to name my blog "Taking Mistakes" as a reminder that mistakes can be funny. As a teacher, I really think that learning languages is fun. The most important piece of advice that I give students is this: Don't take yourself so seriously! It's good to be playful, creative and even childlike when you learn. It's okay to laugh at yourself. It's even okay to laugh at your classmates if you do it in a friendly, encouraging way.

My goal for this blog is to give English language learners and teachers a useful and playful place to learn English and find classroom resources. I'm planning to fill it with an assortment of my silly comics, posts on useful and modern language, uplifting and thought-provoking news stories, and relevant discussion questions.

If this sounds interesting to you, please check back soon for more! Also, please feel free to say hello in the comment section below. I would love to hear what you think.

Vocabulary: 

* to sugarcoat something = To make something sound better or easier than it really is. (It's like putting sugar on the outside of a lemon. It looks sweet, but when you taste it, you realize it is sour and hard to eat.)

Discussion Questions: (These can be used in conversation classes.)

1- Why does the teacher ask, "You take mistakes?" What is the student's problem?
2- Do you think this comic is funny? Why or why not?
3- Do you ever feel like this student?
4- What are some specific mistakes that you often make in English?
5- What is the funniest English mistake that you have made?
6- Do you worry about making mistakes when you speak? Do you usually speak slowly and cautiously or do you speak quickly, even when you know that you are making mistakes?