Hurry up and wait

I have noticed that some cultures have a loose definition of "on time" in Honduras it was always "manana, manana, siempre manana"(tomorrow, tomorrow, always tomorrow) and here I have taken to saying "bookora, bookora, bookora" (tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow). I happen to have a high regard for punctuality(in most instances) and have been trying to instill the healthy habit of punctuality into my students BY DEVASTATING THEIR ATTENDANCE RECORD WITH MY LITTLE RED PEN! I jest...

I have one student that is chronically late. Only a few minutes, but just enough to disrupt the whole flow(I know exactly where he is coming from because for one class in college, I too, was "chronically late girl". I would bustle in right after class started, wildly plop down in my chair, make an explosion of rustling and noise as i settled in, and then proceed to doodle pictures of palms trees for the remainder of the period). So he casually mentioned attendance and tardies one day and I was all HECK YES I'VE BEEN MARKING YOU LATE.

I teach from 8:15-10:15 and then 10:30-12:30. He is in the later class, and he usually busts in around 10:35-40ish or so. So the other day he explodes into the room at 25 after the hour- "oh teacher look! 25 after! I'm on time! I'm actually five minutes early! No tardy for me today!" and then he looked around at all the startled faces staring him down. He hadn't come at 10:25, he came at 9:25, an HOUR and five minutes early, right in the middle of my other class! It was really sweet. But then I made him go sit in the lobby for an hour. oopsies.