What does on-the-dot punctuality really mean?
Punctuality is one Swiss tradition I learned the hard way when my daughter was in first grade.
Sports Competition Day was scheduled to begin at 8:30. The event was mandatory and the flyer instructed parents to send their children with a bagged lunch (the Swiss can do bagged lunches after all), water, a sunhat, and sunscreen.
When we arrived on the school field at exactly 8:30, we saw the children in my daughter’s class in groups, running, jumping, and stretching. The teacher, wearing a frown, glanced at us, then, turned, and walked away. It felt like a slap in the face.
For the next 10-15 minutes, my daughter and I stood by the sidelines, watching her classmates warm up. I tried to get the teacher’s attention, but her gaze never went in our direction. My daughter’s little hands squeezed my fingers. She had been feeling like an outsider and some of the kids had been bullying her. She was different in that she spoke English and she wasn’t a farmer. The pit in my stomach grew.
Anger welled inside of me. I HAD been on time. What this teacher was doing was cruel. She was contributing to my daughter’s status as an outsider.
My resentment gave way to guilt and shame. My chest ached. I just wanted to take my daughter home. At one point, she was integrated in a group, but by that time, she was clearly the newcomer-again.
Later, I heard someone say the following, reminding me of that fateful day:
To be early means to be on time;
To be on time means to be late; and
To be LATE is inexcusable.'
From then on, I vowed to always be early, as I never wanted to experience the anger, guilt, and shame of being late again. If the meeting is at 9:00, I’ll arrive at 8:45, as I know that business will begin at 9:00 on-the-dot.