10/17/21; Week 5: Response to Culture Differences Concerning Time

Monochronic vs. Polychronic

As a Latin American person, I behaved most of my life as monochronic people do. I have lived worried about time, routines, procedures, and schedules. Being a mom of four children and knowing the importance of having bed routines or fixed activities to help them feel safe and comfortable, this obsessed me most of my young years. However, as I have passed my 40’s, things do not appear to be that urgent or rigid, or I am allowing myself a bit of freedom and relax about it. I am learning to be more polychronic and put family and relationships first and not the clock or the routines, yet without neglecting the importance of them.

Finding a balance

Both extremes of this matter may produce misunderstandings and misconceptions among people; hence, it is a good practice to learn how to establish a balance between the clock and relationships. There are moments where time must be our priority, and others where caring for our relationships must be our number one concern. Besides, we need to be aware that not all people act the same way or have the same attitude about time and schedules. Or, in other words, not all people are monochronic or polychronic. Therefore, to avoid these problems, we will do good in adapt ourselves to the person and the situation at hand. It is not always easy because sometimes you have not an idea how the person is; in these cases, being punctual and careful about time is better than offending others. On the other hand, there will be moments were that person’s feelings are the most important aspect to consider. Only through practice and a great sensitivity we can manage to find a balance and avoid being excessively concerned about both degrees of time conceptions.

Application in the TESOL classroom

Why is it an important topic for us Tesol/Tefl teachers? Well, from my point of view, being on time for classes is a requisite in all work settings. Besides, students are always pendent of you arriving at their classroom to deliver your lesson. Secondly, having routines is paramount for L2 learners, since they give students security in what is going to happen, and they already know what to expect. This is the reason behind writing an agenda as the first step in the lesson. Thirdly, finding a balance between monochronic and polychronic points of view will help you know what parts of your lesson prioritize when you run out of time at moments where the unexpected occurs. It may be a student’s misbehavior, a school activity or meeting, assemblies, and the list has not end in a common school day. On the other hand, establishing a good class environment and positive teacher-student relationships is crucial if we want our teaching practices to be effective. We cannot learn from people who we do not admire or respect, and this is the reason why I consider it so important.

Conclusion

I have experience being on both ends of this path called monochronic-polychronic lifestyles, and both are too much to manage. In my opinion, learning from both and finding a balance is an effective manner to care for people who lives at a different pace and rhythm.

The question is, how can we do it? How can we learn to be at the middle of the line? How can we educate ourselves to abandon our extreme points of view about time, schedules, or procedures? How can we learn to be more direct about our feelings or desires?