10/16/2021; Week 5: Response to "Culture Differences Concerning Time"

Culture Differences Concerning Time 

by Aranza Garza

Time, time is a complicated term, we could be referring to time in a scientific way or even in a philosophical way, and today we'll be referring to Cultural Differences Concerning Time. 

Let us start by defining two terms, according to the video Cultural Differences Concerning Time Video: 

• In Monocrhonic cultures, they value schedules and procedures.

• In Polychronic cultures, they value interpersonal relationships, like a family or friendships. 

These are ways we value and view time, in our lives, and how different it can be depending on the culture we grow upon.

I live in a Polychronic country (MEXICO), where family comes first, and where no matter what duties you have if it's your mother's birthday and she wants to go on a trip, you have to go, or you will be viewed and judged as rude or hurtful. Another example can be in the connections, you can get a job, get benefits all because you have a friend on the inside; In the video mention above, they give a great example about an exchange worker in a new company coming from a monochromic to a polychronic culture, where they struggle to get their kids into a school, and it's not until they mention this problem to someone in their office, that they can enroll their kids, because of the connection the other coworker had

As TESOL teachers, this perception of time, may affect your teaching, because when teaching ESL classes you will mostly have a diverse group of students, and different cultures in one classroom, some students may have been raised with a monochronic perception, and they may be strict about their schedules and don't want any interruptions, and in the other hand, you could have students with a polychronic view, where they don't mind interruptions, and they have different priorities. 

I think a way you could avoid any problems with these perceptions is for you to take an initiative to know your students and their cultures. You will not be able to make everyone happy, but you will be capable of creating a neutral space, where everyone is comfortable and safe while learning. 

Questions to Reflect;

• What other challenges or benefits do you think a TESOL teacher could have because of monochronic and polychronic cultures? 
• How would you fix or improve these issues

References: 

Cultural Differences Concerning Time, BYU Idaho, From Tim Tanner, (March 17th, 2015),  LINK