TEFL in Latin America: Culture Shock
Suddenly in a classroom setting again, roles reversed, my mind flashes back to the 3 P’s posted on the wall of my elementary school classroom: Prompt, Prepared, Polite. I remember them because they seem to represent a large part of the differences I have experienced in this cultural shift from Colorado to Ecuador.
My first day of teaching, I was late due to my dependence on an Ecuadorian host for transportation. The next day it was the same. I did not get the sense anything out of the ordinary was happening, and people here never seem to mind waiting. Any opportunity to chat and dilly dally a bit is always welcome. But once I arrive, the students casually filter in and are ready to begin, as others appear at their own pace. Everyone has the sense that they are learning something very valuable and I never feel I have to stress the importance of learning English. Recently, the President of Ecuador addressed the economic problem of tardiness in an event he kicked off by finally appearing to a speech on time. I cannot say whether the initiative has made any difference, but I can say time is still fairly relaxed. There is everything in my classroom I might need but a clock on the wall. “Latin time” isn’t measured by a clock; it is measured by the heart, apparently. The others look at me and Oliver, the French guy, with a touch of pity when they see how we regularly look at our watches.
Not being tyrannized by time clocks might be a welcome change for an American, but with organizing a TEFL excursion to Latin America, the cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings. The Ecuadorians are a very welcoming bunch, and their invitations are sincere, but it may not seem that way to Americans whose expectations for preparation are on an entirely different plane of existence. Here, there are no commitments, only statements of possibility. It can be a leap of faith for an American who considers a plane ticket to Ecuador a commitment. This person wants to be sure the accommodations and opportunities will be there, and wants commitments, preferably in writing. To make the journey possible for a staunch American, one must substitute the dependence on legally-binding commitments with the Latin conviction that everything will work out fine once you get there. As an American, I was surprised to find that the class I was going to teach in four days had no time or time schedule, no curriculum, no mission statement, not even a classroom yet. Those things were decided in two short meetings with minimal English over the next couple of days. They kept asking me what I thought, but honestly, I had no idea what to think. I just kept saying, “I will do what I can.” So I was given the thrill of being forced to improvise, which for a Jazz musician like myself, is not completely foreign. And, perhaps astonishingly, perhaps expectedly, everything fell in place when it needed to the way it needed to, even if a minute or two later than scheduled.
“Most of the time, there is no way to plan for what will happen,” my student, Washington Giovanni, said as simply as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “If you plan too much, then there is a lot of frustration when plans don’t work out.” His story checks out. I notice a lot less frustration here than in my home country. His face returned to its placid default. I was glad he said that, because I was beginning to have suspicions myself of the same thing. Still, I think there is an ideal balance between the two approaches. However, my positive experience here leads me to believe that it is a balance found somewhere nearer the equator.
In the light of Ecuadorian culture, Americans have an amazing ability to catalogue everything that could possibly go wrong. In class, I mentioned the news coverage myspace.com is receiving, and had a surprisingly difficult time getting them to understand why this was newsworthy. “Oh, because people are spending too much time on the net?” “No,” I try to explain, “It is because parents are worried their children will be victimized.” Blank stares. “How?” “Well, imagine your daughter has posted a lot of personal information and pictures on the net where ANYONE can see them. You could see how that could be a problem.” More confused looks. Apparently not. So I briefly try to explain the perceived dangers of sex offenders and pedophiles and the increasingly confused and startled looks tell me this is something they don’t think about nor care to, so I stop. Here, there is far more urgency and concern that there will be enough coffee, snacks and conversation during a loosely defined classroom rest break.
I have seen how distinct politeness can be from hospitality and friendliness since I have been here. At times, politeness can border on the offensive here. My expression that I don’t want to be a burden to anyone has almost been taken as an affront to the hospitality offered me. The simplest way to operate here is to accept as much hospitality as possible with gratitude. You can be particular as long as it helps your hosts to please you. And, obviously, smile a lot and demonstrate how good of a time you are having. Politeness in America can sometimes take the form of reducing interpersonal connection and promoting individuality. “I don’t want to be a bother, so I will keep it to myself.” That doesn’t fly as well down here.
It is strange to compare the efficiency of this country with that of America. The US’s punctuality and advanced organizational skills make it very efficient and productive materially. Latin Americans, on the other hand, seem to be better time managers, finding plenty of time for work, family, friends, and recreation. The meetings here are much more efficient and conclusive. The results speak for themselves. America has wealthiness so conspicuous as to be unable to escape either jealousy or disdain. Latin America has a subdued nature and priorities that make it a very pleasant place to exist, but there are fewer options and less to subsist on.
In retrospect, I think elementary school was more effective in instilling the three P’s than the three R’s: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. However, in my observation, Americans are generally more competent in everything other than social competence.
Friday, Oct 8: A week of teaching English is over. I always look forward to English class as a form of revenge on people who are making me struggle to understand their words the rest of the time. As the week goes on, I gain increasing pleasure in challenging my students, and they become increasingly frustrated, which gives me a sick sense of satisfaction. Still, I keep things pretty relaxed. The ten-minute breaks usually end up being thirty. Although we never start on time, I always let them out on time. My Friday course has even ended up being a little bit of a treat as I have abandoned the curriculum to teach them some American slang. They still didn’t get it. People generally want to learn English very badly, but they generally hate it.
My students, the English teachers, seem contented with the class, but I have lately become wise to the fact that the ladies are coming up to me at the end of class to get a little kiss more than they are to thank me for teaching. A couple of the guys will come up and shake my hand, out of friendship more than anything else. But these women! These grown women are behaving like girls. They sit together and giggle in the back while I am trying to teach. At the end of the week, there is much smiling, giggling and flirting with me. Unawares, my picture is taken on a cell phone, the ladies giggle, say I am handsome and they will put the picture in the newspaper, and other such nonsense. Shouldn’t they have husbands to go home to? My position as a university professor is apparently intoxicating the girls’ minds. Outside the university, I am just a gringo passing through.
General classes start next week, so my class has been changed from five times a week to twice a month. The rest of the time I will be assisting the English teachers and helping to make sure all the English documents are correctly written. But there is no defined schedule. I anticipate it being very similar to my schedule so far.
Tags: Travel
Aaron Baldassare