Learning to Speak English from a Native

We recently bought a wood puzzle of the United States for Caleb to learn his States. One morning, when he showed me the State of Michigan and asked me what State it was, I said, "Michigan." Then he responded, "How come Mommy said 'Michigan' not 'Mishigan'?" Looking puzzled (no pun intended), I asked him what he meant. He repeated with emphasis, "How come Mommy said 'Mi-CHI-gan' not 'Mi-SHI-gan'?" It was then that I realized the difference he was trying to point out. And after looking up in the dictionary, which has become a permanent object on our dining table these days, I smiled at him and thanked him for correcting my pronounciation. Obviously he has heard Andy say the word and somehow picked up the difference. This is only just another word added to my long list of mispronounced words that I've discovered (mostly by Andy pointing out to me) in the past 20 years of being in this country. Often times I just tell Andy, "That's the British way of saying the word!" Ha...

But on a more serious note, it is daunting to realize I am going to be teaching English to a native! While it is true I am far from being fit to be a homeschooling mom, I am reminded that I am called not because I am fit, and quite the opposite, because none of us is fit. It is by God's strength and wisdom that I teach, in order that I may be humbled...