The Punctuality Dilemma

Being on time is culture specific. We feel that in professional life, and to a lesser extent socially, you arrive ready at the appointed time, or have a jolly good reason for not doing so. That is not the norm beyond the Anglo-Saxon world.

My concern is, that in trying to change a cultural norm (a relaxed attitude to time), we (and therefore I) are/am producing an atmosphere of resentment and eventually anger which cannot be conducive to learning. But this now strikes at the heart of the whole set up here.

The idea is to have an English-medium FE college, where British norms of academic behaviour apply. One of those is being on time. If I nod at lateness, then I am perhaps in breach of my contract. On the other hand, I need to ensure that these students learn sufficient to get them through their exams, and up to a level of English to enable them to teach in our language.

So there’s a paradox here. Psychologically, students need to feel relaxed and positive to enable them to language-learn. Professionally, they need to adhere to the alien concept of doing everything by the bell. My dilemma is that I cannot foster the former and simultaneously enforce the latter.