Can I Speak Like a 2nd Grader?

I admit it. I love trivia. Game shows like Jeopardy and even Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? are fun for me.

Learning trivia is one thing.
Learning another language is another.

I follow several blogs by people who are learning Spanish in Chile and write about their successes and failures. They are helpful. The following had a great paragraph that I though you should read.

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When I speak Spanish my train of thought often passes by a lingering preoccupation that hovers in the front of my mind: try to sound smarter than a second grader. It’s not a grandiose goal for a college-educated individual, but it is a realistic one, and these days there is something to be said for unadorned realism. Realistic or not, however, it is not always easy to achieve. A single slip of the tongue, one misplaced letter, and you are back in Dumbsville. It is exactly this fear that paralyzes many language learners, so I recommend that you ignore it. Besides, if you don’t keep talking, you won’t end up with comedies of errors like these.

(HT: Ryan Greenberg)
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So here is how you can pray specifically for me and language learning:
-Be humble. Pride oftentimes limits my language learning.
-God's direction whether or not to go to language school in Texas before moving to Chile.
-To find an experienced mentor in the country that will teach me with patience and effectiveness.
-You do realize that my three kids will be learning Spanish faster than I ever will, and will probably be secretly (and openly) laughing at me their whole lives. I need to be able to laugh at myself.
-That I would have an attitude of a child in language learning. Keep talking.