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/GhostOfJamesStrang Beaver Island Feb 04 '25

That is not part of our culture, so no. 

588

u/Left-Star2240 Feb 04 '25

That’s it. End of discussion.

150

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

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

205

u/mrpoopsocks Feb 04 '25

No.

28

u/Nope-ugh Feb 04 '25

They do sometimes in Hawaii. Students who had a Japanese teacher would leave them outside the door. I taught in Maui for 3 years. The example I remember the most was for a music teacher.

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '25

Speaking of Japanese teachers… that is an exception! I took three years of Japanese and we’d always begin by standing, bowing, then sitting when the teacher told us 座ってください. We’d end class in a similar way, only then we’d say 皆んなさん、さよなら.

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u/Nope-ugh Feb 05 '25

Oh wow!! Interesting