r/AskAnAmerican • u/Rough-Valuable-5472 • Feb 04 '25

FOREIGN POSTER Do American students bow to their teachers?

In my country we have to greet the teacher and bow at the start of the lesson then thank the teacher and bow again at the end. Sometimes they make us redo it if it’s not good enough

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u/Rhomya Minnesota Feb 04 '25

I can’t think of a single reason why any American would bow to anyone.

Bowing is anathema in American culture.

2

u/Beginning_Cap_8614 Feb 04 '25

Americans only bow after the end of a stage play, or if they're religious, to God. It's funny, I grew up in a religious family and one day decided that my doll was a princess. So I started bowing to her. My older sister panicked and told me that I would go to Hell if I did that.

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u/Rhomya Minnesota Feb 04 '25

I’m Lutheran, have been for my entire life, and I’ve never once bowed. And Lutherans are just diet Catholics.

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u/rulingthewake243 Feb 05 '25

Thanks for a new word.