2/4/21; Week 05: Response to “Cultural Differences Concerning Time”

I have never given much thought to Monochronic or Polychronic cultures. In fact, I had never heard the term until I watched the recording for this class. I have noticed the differences in cultures, though, and putting a name to it is great. I am not sure exactly how this impacts a classroom situation and would love to hear from others about how they see the two different cultures (Monochronic and Polychronic) affecting each other in the classroom. I have helped volunteer in a volunteer-led ESL class taught out of our ward building. Most of the students were from South America and the way I saw how their polychronic culture affected the class was that their family was their priority. Students frequently missed class. Trying to teach all the students the same material would be a challenge because students missed so often. What I have learned is that discussing with my class the importance of being where you say you are going to be here in America means you are there. In one of the situations which Brother Ivers shared he mentioned that the missionaries often set up appointments in Southern America. When they return for the appointment at the previously designated time nobody is there. Brother Ivers mentioned that this was actually a sign of respect because people don’t want to be rude, definitely not directly to your face. I would need to explain that here in America we feel that it would be better to just say no thank you. It would also need to be discussed that when we make commitments in the business world, we do all that we can to follow through with them. We tend to arrange family around work instead of vice-versa. That being said, as a teacher, I would need to recognize the difference in cultures and allow room for learning and growth. Both for myself and for my students. With that being said, I think it is also important for me to know that if I go to another country to teach, I may have to make some drastic changes to the way I am used to working around the clock. I think this could be more challenging and I might have to find unique ways in which I provide learning experiences for my students. Overall, I think recognizing the culture one is in and trying to adapt to their way of managing time is important. As a teacher in the US, it would be my responsibility to teach students how to adapt while not losing that strong family bond.