While reading chapter 3 in Saville-Troike, I related many concepts in the chapter to my own experiences learning languages. I had not realized that different approaches to SLA had different approaches to the evaluation of errors. I was especially interested in S. Pit Corder's assertion that making errors is "part of the learning process itself" and that it is a sign that a student is possibly exploring a new language, rather than struggling to separate their L1 habits. I find this concept especially important because as a future educator, I believe that my students need to feel comfortable making errors so that they will continue to push themselves and explore their new skills rather than allowing a fear of mistakes to hold them back. By helping my students see errors as a part of the learning experience, they may be more apt to attempt more difficult concepts and hopefully grow more as learners.

I especially related to the excerpt of a letter written by a native Korean speaker because it reflected many of the errors I have made in the languages I have learned. The excerpt read:
 "The weather is been very hot in the Washington D.C. There climate last week warm."
The text explained that the "is been" shows that the speaker has learned to English auxiliary verb, but has not yet mastered it--intralingual development; while other errors are the result of interlingual interference because the speaker is applying Korean language structures and rules to the English language. This is a problem I often run into when speaking or writing in Spanish. While I can always communicate successfully, it is at times more of a direct-from-English translation, rather than the full Spanish equivalent. Although I began learning Spanish when I was very young--five years old--I will never fully develop Spanish fluency to the same degree as my English fluency.

The idea that L2 learners will never be as fluent in their L2 as their L1 actually made me understand my own struggles with my L2. I see many of the errors I make explained in the text and I can understand where they result from and also the fact that learning is a life-long process. I will always produce errors in my L2, though not as many as someone who began learning their L2 at a later age than I did, or who does not work with their L2 as often as I do. This is an idea that I will present to my students so they will hopefully be more motivated to push themselves further without feeling the need to be perfect speakers at all times.