Tell Tales, those bit of wool or cloth that fly from your sails and tell you what the wind is doing are worth keeping around.. learn to use them and keep replacing them.
Telltales have a habit of getting blown away, literally. You often see boats without them anymore because they have just disappeared over time and blows.
But you should replace them and learn how to use them. They are worth their weight in gold and as you learn they will teach, again and again.
I even like tell tales on the luff of my main sail, I find it helps me with twist in particular and setting up the traveller correctly for a point of sail.