Here’s something that might sound backwards: there’s one mistake your ESL student isn’t making enough of. In fact, you should be encouraging them to make this mistake more often, not less.
The mistake? Speaking with errors instead of staying silent.
Your most careful, conscientious ESL students are often your quietest ones. They join your online sessions, they follow along perfectly, they type beautiful responses in the chat—but when it comes to speaking, they freeze. They’d rather stay muted than say something imperfect.
This perfectionism is killing their progress.
The Silent Screen Trap
Picture Maria, an advanced ESL student who writes elegant emails and completes every assignment flawlessly. During your video calls, she’s clearly engaged, nodding along, asking clarifying questions in the chat. But when you ask her to unmute and share her thoughts, she takes long pauses, starts sentences multiple times, then gives a perfectly constructed but brief response.
Maria isn’t lazy or disengaged. She’s trapped by her own high standards. Every time she unmutes, she’s mentally editing, translating, and perfecting before she speaks. The silence stretches uncomfortably long while she searches for the “right” way to say something.
Meanwhile, online tutoring offers the perfect opportunity for risk-taking. It’s just the two of you—no classmates to impress, no audience to worry about. Yet many students feel even more pressure to be perfect when they’re the only voice in the digital space.
Why “Messy” Speaking Is Actually Perfect Practice
Speaking with errors teaches your student’s brain to process language in real time. When students wait for perfect sentences, they’re practicing editing, not speaking. Real conversation doesn’t have a backspace key.
Mistakes reveal what your student actually needs to learn. When they say “I have 25 years old,” you know exactly what to address in your next lesson. When they stay silent, you’re guessing what they’re struggling with.
Imperfect communication builds confidence faster than perfect silence. Every time your student communicates successfully—even with errors—they prove to themselves that they can be understood. This confidence compounds session by session.
Errors create immediate, personalized learning moments. In one-on-one tutoring, you can address their specific patterns right away, making corrections feel collaborative rather than judgmental.
Overcoming Tutor Anxiety About Errors
“But won’t they develop bad habits?” Research shows that students naturally self-correct as they gain experience. The bigger risk is students developing the habit of not speaking at all.
“What about accuracy?” Focus on communication first, accuracy second. A student who says “Yesterday I go to store and buy bread” has successfully communicated. Build from there.
“I don’t want to seem unprofessional by allowing errors.” Your professionalism lies in creating an environment where learning happens. Sometimes that means celebrating attempts over perfection.
Perfect English isn’t the goal—communication is. Every time your ESL student chooses silence over imperfect speech, they’re prioritizing an impossible standard over actual learning.
The beauty of one-on-one online tutoring is that you can customize this approach completely to your student’s personality and needs. Some need encouragement to speak up, others need permission to slow down. But all of them need to know that imperfect communication is not just acceptable—it’s essential.
So encourage that productive mistake. Celebrate the attempts. Respond to the message, not just the grammar. Your student’s speaking fluency depends on their willingness to be imperfect with you.
And that’s a mistake worth making.
