Here’s an embarrassing story.
Years ago I went to a doctor in Prague.
The nurse led me to a small room, told me to take off my clothes, put on a gown, and then come out of the room and walk down the hall when I was ready.
But the gown didn’t fit.
It was too small.
Way too small.
That was shock #1.
Shock #2 was the look on people’s faces as I walked down the hall.
They didn’t point. They didn’t stare. They didn’t even laugh.
Instead, they looked bored.
Could it be… I wasn’t the first half-naked man they had seen?
Meet Your New English Teacher
“Sorry for my English.”
I hear that all the time.
Students are embarrassed about their English.
In school, the name of the game was “Don’t make a mistake.”
The reward was a good grade.
The punishment was not only a bad grade, but also embarrassment and shame from parents and friends.
But that game is over.
Sit down now with a native speaker and take a close look at his/her face.
What do you see?
Shock? Horror? Disgust?
Not at all.
Your teacher has heard your mistakes before.
A THOUSAND times!
And that’s not an exaggeration. (1 year of teaching, 5 hours a day, 60+ mistakes per lesson = a LOT of mistakes)
And so has every other teacher.
So relax.
And have a conversation with a native speaker.
It’ll do great things for your English.
(But keep your clothes on.)