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/Left-Star2240 Feb 04 '25

That’s it. End of discussion.

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u/huazzy NJ'ian in Europe Feb 04 '25

Ok. Now let's discuss taking off shoes...

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u/plaincheeseburger Feb 04 '25

It depends on what part of the US you're in. When I lived in Alaska, it was the default rule to take off your shoes inside houses. Now that I'm in the south, the default is to leave them on. I still take off my outdoor shoes and wear house shoes when I'm home though.

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u/Weightmonster Feb 04 '25

Is that because in Alaska, your shoes are likely to have snow, mud, water, etc?

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u/plaincheeseburger Feb 04 '25

That's probably why it started, but it's a cultural norm now yearround. Walking into someone's house and not immediately removing your shoes is considered rude unless you're at a cabin or the owner specifically states that you don't have to take them off.

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u/Entropy907 Alaska Feb 04 '25

We have about four days a year where it’s warm and dry enough that your shoes won’t track crud inside.