A student's self-image is his most precious possession. Yet this image is constantly threatened in a language class (or anywhere else). Some threats come from the foreignness of the language, others from the power imbalance between student and teacher, others from the student's failure to live up to what he expects of himself. All of these threats produce various kinds of defensive behavior, which interfere with the quality as well as with the quantity of learning. Teachers should try to run their courses in ways which will reduce these threats. A general strategy might include three elements: (1) trying to maximize student security; (2) arranging for students to study in ways that maximize their own self-investment in the enterprise; (3) allowing students, as much as possible, to learn from themselves and from one another, rather than directly from the teacher. These three elements are compatible with one another if the teacher concentrates on establishing and maintaining classroom routines and making necessary information available when needed, and if the teacher allows the students a large amount of responsibility for who says what to whom, and when. (Author)