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Learning From Small Failures: A Teacher’s Perspective

Weekly Topic: Recent minor failures and things I learned from them

Teacher Marinka

Even as a teacher, I sometimes have little “oops” moments in my work. Recently, I prepared an Afrikaans vocabulary lesson with a beautiful slideshow full of pictures, but when class started, I realized I had uploaded the wrong version! Instead of animals and colors, it was filled with random drafts and blank slides. My student and I laughed about it, and I had to quickly adjust by teaching from memory.
 
At first, I felt embarrassed. But then I realized something important: mistakes remind us to be flexible and creative. I turned the class into a spontaneous vocabulary game, and in the end, the student learned just as much—and maybe even had more fun than if everything had gone perfectly.
 
From this small failure, I learned:
- Always double-check materials before class (✔️).
- Students don’t expect perfection—they want a real teacher who can adapt (?).
- Mistakes can open the door to new, fun teaching moments (?).
 
So next time something goes “wrong,” I’ll remind myself that it’s also a chance to grow.
What about you? Have you had a small failure recently that taught you something valuable?

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This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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