Leaders lead by example, and so do teachers. We teach by example. How many times do we tell our students not to be afraid of making mistakes? Then we should do that too to ourselves. During my first year of teaching my aim was simple: to gain as much teaching experience as I can, and I did. Second year it only got better. Third year I was much more confident to the point that I was so sure my techniques and methodes were the best and most efficient that I turned a blind eye to my own shortfall. Fourth year, as class size and program design might no more be an issue, I felt something was missing. My teaching practices had grown monotonous as I started to overlook quality over quantity (thinking number of students was what mattered the most). Students became less motivated and English classes were considered to be nothing more than a mere obligation from their company (I teach mostly ESP). By that time, I thought, "I have to do something. I need to change." Learning from mistakes means we can identify which practice works the least and which works the best - for us and our students. One practice can be successful in one class, but fail in the other. It is only by more experience and teaching hours that we can raise our self-awareness in this area. Learning from mistakes also helps us with our professional development and makes us a better teacher. These 3 are what I learned the most about my mistakes in the past:
1) Beware of becoming an accuracy freak.
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