This printable clock to teach time zones, which you fill find below, helps people who have the same struggle I did. Learning the time zones (and keeping them straight) can be a challenge. Some people mix up the positions of the different zones. Some can’t remember the math between the time zones.
Learning the names or positions of them was never a problem for me, but there is one aspect of time zones that my brain mixes up every time.
Why use a printable clock to teach time zones
It’s not what time is it now in this or that zone. It’s scheduling appointments for later with someone who is in another time zone. I’d be early or late because I’d mix up the times. I’ll demonstrate.
A prospect from California wants to set up a time to talk on the phone. He says, “Call me at nine AM Pacific time.”
I see the United States map in my head, note that Pacific is two hours behind Central, and say to myself, “That’s eleven o’clock my time.” As I enter it in the calendar right that minute, my brain will do the old switcheroo. I select a slot that has two hours’ difference in it, but not in the right direction.
My brain might subtract two hours from the wrong time, or add two hours to the wrong time. I might end up with 7 AM Pacific = 9 AM Central, which means I’m calling the client two hours early. Or 11 AM plus two hours = 1 PM Central, which means I’m two hours late for the call.
It took a little time for me to figure out exactly what was going on. I still don’t understand why—whether it’s an autistic-trait issue, or from dyslexia, or if it’s a result of being beaten about the head and shoulders one (thousand) too many times.
But really, does the cause matter? It’s more important to find a workaround, a solution to the problem. Once I knew exactly what my brain was doing, I knew that I needed a clock with four faces side by side, connected so that when a prospect or client said, “Call me at 9 AM Pacific,” I could turn the Pacific wheel on the gadget so that 9:00 would be aligned with the pointer, and all of the other wheels would turn in unison, so that the time in my time zone would be lined up properly as well. Then I’d just have to look at my time zone’s wheel, and put that into the calendar.
Find a printable clock to teach time zones
I had no luck finding anything even resembling what I needed. So I created a printable clock to teach time zones. It shows the zones lined up in a different but still effective way.
It works like a charm! My kids even quizzed me repeatedly, and I answered correctly and recorded the mock appointment in the calendar correctly every single time.
Like so many people, I just needed to see the times lined up. I needed to be able to run my finger along the lines of numbers, keep it there, and record the desired time in my calendar.
This clock could help anyone who has difficulty with time zones or differences in time between the time zones. Get rid of the confusion forever, and with a low-tech solution. This works with different learning styles and is color-coded for quick, nonverbal comprehension.
Eventually, I did find on Amazon this printable clock to teach time zones. It’s better looking than the one I made. Check it out.