5/22/19 Week 5: Cultural Differences Concerning TIME

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When I was 14 I traveled and lived in the USA for four months. This was a great and rich cultural experience for me. I felt like in a new world. In my hometown, people aren't on time and all plans are set in an hour but everyone knows that you have to go there an hour before, if you're from Ecuador you will understand my point ;). This is just one example of many cultures differences that we have around the world but is necessary to know it for avoiding misunderstandings, especially if we're talking about a classroom with many culture diversity. 

As English teachers is our obligation to plan classes which contain activity that integrates everyone in the classroom. Teachers must have in main that each culture is different and perceptions vary depending on students' background. 

Like I wrote before, time differences in each culture are totally distinct. In South America people doesn't have a specific schedule, they most of the time change their planes for attending family and friends needs. They left what they had planned at the first for helping their loved ones. But is no the same in other cultures, for example in the USA, people have a different concept about schedules, they don't change their planes easily and have a strict ideology about time. 

In our future classes, we'll find these two cases. Let's see an example:


Mrs. Hong planned a food festival and ask each student to bring a typical food of their culture. The activity starts at 4:00 p. m. and Enrique González who is from Ecuador was assigned to talk in front of the class (he has lived in the USA for 4 months).  Mrs. Hong arrived at the school at 3:00 p. m. and decorated the place. At 3:50 p. m Mrs. Hong got a little worried about Enrique because he had to talk. Enrique arrived at school at 4:30 p. m. when the presentation and the talk were already given by Mrs. Hong. He and his family were confused about it. 


For Enrique and his family, the activity starts at 4:30 because in their hometown most of the activities start an hour later. 


We have to be prepared for these situations and understand our students' ideologies and explaining to them what are the parameters of our class. Also, having a good relationship with them will allowing us to know their challenges and difficulties for adapting to the new style of life and culture. 


In my short experience being an English teacher, when I have new students I try to know everything about their cultures. I spend extra time for having a conversation with them. I adapt my classes to their needs so they suddenly understand my methodology of work concerning time differences. 

We need to mark the differences in their cultural transition and be their guide for avoiding misunderstandings in their new home place.