None of us ever want to be late to work. A few of us like to be so early that the security guard has to open the door. Most of us however like to be comfortably punctual, enough to enjoy a leisurely stroll to our class and not a heart-pumping sweat-inducing 'see I made it before the bell but now I'm in cardiac arrest and need a shower' sprint. We all know school starts early (and when friends are late for a 9 o'clock punch-in we all feel a little elitist disdain, do we not). But your arrival time says an awful lot about you, unfortunately, to the Higher Ups.
A librarian friend of mine recently told me that her principal - who loiters at the school's main entrance to greet both faculty and students every morning - confirmed this. He claims that your ETA to school puts you in a category as identified by Administration: those who arrive before 7 a.m., those who arrive around 7 a.m., those who arrive at 7:15, 7:30, and those who just barely squeak by at the 7:40 deadline.
We can conclude that earlier is better. It suggests dedication and a serious commitment to preparation. We tend to think the earlier you are, the more you have to do, the more responsibility you are claiming, the more professionally motivated, and therefore the more valuable the employee.
Is the converse also true? The later you are, the less you can accomplish, the more casually you view responsibility, the less dedicated, the less valuable the employee. This is true for any engagement for which we have an appointment: a job, a class, a doctor's visit, a lunch date, collecting your child from summer camp. The earlier you are, the more respect you will get. The later you are, the more irresponsible you are.
Take this from someone who has been diagnosed with Chronic Tardiness (I'm currently in counseling). People simply view you differently. If you are late, you are dubbed disorganized. No one will question your control if you are early. And as a New Teacher, you want to make a big impression. Don't let it be while you're screeching into the parking lot on Monday morning.
Punctuality... ah, we've had this conversation before. I'm (not really) guessing you've chosen to be a "7" and really, why wouldn't one choose to be, not too early, not too late... Mama Bear!
ReplyDeleteWhy do we choose an arbitrary set point for an acceptable arrival time? In this case, components of fear, pride and respect might play varying roles. Might.
There is also what you have termed "loco-tiempo?" as well. Our minds may fool us into thinking we are arriving at 7 am, but invariably end up, say, 7:15. Those last-minute Oops! the morning parking-lot of a commute from Hell, it all adds up to demasiado loco tiempo (if my rudimentary spanish is correct, too much crazy time. If not, abuse me!)
Self-correct set points and/or loco-tiempo we are golden. Right. I had to conduct a meeting at 9 am this morning, and my set point is 8:55-8:58 am. I was there just before 9 am, and that was because the last 2 lights were green. Too much loco-tiempo!