Contrary to the idea that the technical knowledge of the teacher of a native tongue serves primordially to the content of its teaching or to the planning of classes, this article discusses the precept that such knowledge should be seen as the basis for the creation of an attitude to be maintained in face-to-face interactions in the classroom. This attitude relates to the constant need to make decisions before the unexpected, and points to the construction of a specific discursive place for the language teacher - that of someone who listens to the student's words and enlaces them to his or her own words, so as to make sure that the assumption of the position of subject follows a reflection about the linguistic means available to such end. As an example to fuel this debate, the text describes the case of the unusual interpretation made by some students of the word "rataria" present in one of Monteiro Lobato's works. Some of the possible attitudes before this reading mistake are discussed, as well as their implications: to request a change in the answer, to modify the didactic material, to make explicit the linguistic work underlying the mistake, or to use the mistake as a pretext to other activities. The procedures discussed are based on the premise that mistakes and other unforeseen manifestations not only reveal procedures of construction of knowledge, but also offer important opportunities for the teacher to include him/herself into the student's word, being, therefore, a fundamental aspect in the construction of a relationship in which teaching becomes possible.
Teaching of Portuguese language; Teacher education; Reading; Contemporary subject
