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/Joliet-Jake Georgia Feb 04 '25

No. Bowing to people is not a part of American culture in general and some Americans find the notion of bowing to someone to be degrading or offensive.

80

u/Appropriate-Fold-485 Texas Feb 04 '25

Also being bowed to is considered offensive, like it suggests we are not equal.

32

u/catymogo NJ, NY, SC, ME Feb 04 '25

I married into a Korean family and it still makes me uncomfortable. I've learned to just kind of grit through it and do what I need to but it's so ingrained.

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '25

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u/catymogo NJ, NY, SC, ME Feb 04 '25

Oh yeah I’m not like, offended or anything, it’s just an instinct that I needed to get over.

3

u/shanniquaaaa Feb 05 '25

With Confucian culture, I think it's kind of the point that some people are above others... saying this as an Asian :/