I relate to many of the stories told by professor Ivers. I grew up in a society that did not follow times or schedules, and since I was a teenager, I felt the need to keep times for appointments especially. I guess all of Latin America is like that, more preoccupied with relationships than with keeping times and schedules. I've always thought it was disrespectful of people to show up late or simply not show up at meetings that had been previously scheduled.
I remember one time when I was serving as a missionary. we had a conference with all the missionaries. It was supposed to start at 10am, we were living more than three hour away, so we woke up at 4:30am to go to the bus station to be there on time. On the way, the bus broke, and we had to wait for another bus to come and take us, that delayed us by almost an hour. We rant as fast as we could, and got there almost 20 minutes late. Knowing how my mission president was, a hardcore Alaskan attorney, me and my companion tried to sneak in the back, crouching so he couldn't see us. But he spotted me, and in the middle of the conference and in front of 200 other missionaries, he said, good night Elder Maia! Everyone turned their heads to me. That day I learned, no matter what happens, even if it's justified, to people who followe time tables, if you are late, it's an insult to them.
But I think there should be some balance. Understand people's perspective. In my classes, there are many parents who bring their children to class very late. That disrupts the class, but I try to keep going and if it repeats too much, I ask for the management to speak with the parent to try and mitigate the situation. Sometimes it get better. Chinese culture is a bit mixed about times. When you're and employee, they will not tolerate any delays, but if you're a client, all kinds of delays are possible. I think as teacher we need to find a balanced approach and recognize the cultural differences.
I remember one time when I was serving as a missionary. we had a conference with all the missionaries. It was supposed to start at 10am, we were living more than three hour away, so we woke up at 4:30am to go to the bus station to be there on time. On the way, the bus broke, and we had to wait for another bus to come and take us, that delayed us by almost an hour. We rant as fast as we could, and got there almost 20 minutes late. Knowing how my mission president was, a hardcore Alaskan attorney, me and my companion tried to sneak in the back, crouching so he couldn't see us. But he spotted me, and in the middle of the conference and in front of 200 other missionaries, he said, good night Elder Maia! Everyone turned their heads to me. That day I learned, no matter what happens, even if it's justified, to people who followe time tables, if you are late, it's an insult to them.
But I think there should be some balance. Understand people's perspective. In my classes, there are many parents who bring their children to class very late. That disrupts the class, but I try to keep going and if it repeats too much, I ask for the management to speak with the parent to try and mitigate the situation. Sometimes it get better. Chinese culture is a bit mixed about times. When you're and employee, they will not tolerate any delays, but if you're a client, all kinds of delays are possible. I think as teacher we need to find a balanced approach and recognize the cultural differences.
Comments
I agree with you. I am from a polichronic country too, but my father told me that being late is very unrespectful to other people's schedules. So, I try to always be on time, and encourage that in others. I am a teacher, so, if I am on time, and start the class on time, my students will know they need to be on time!
Karen Williams