Never Ever in the USA

A couple of days ago at school, I was standing at the school entrance greeting students in the morning. There are several students whose job it is to stand there and say good morning to every student who walks in. One of the teachers happened to be there as a girl walked in, said good morning and bowed slightly. This teacher literally put her hand on the girl's neck, gently pulled her back to the line of greeters, and pushed her head down in a lower bow. I was slightly shocked, to say the least. The girl and the teacher walked off together as this teacher put her arm around the girl's shoulders laughing. Apparently they know each other fairly well, and it was all in good jest. Needless to say, this would never happen in the US. School in Japan is more than just learning the information to move on to the next grade level. It's about learning to be a good citizen. When the girls practice table tennis, every once in a while, the girl in charge asks something, and the answer is a chorus of hai(yes). I'm not sure what's being said, but I get the feeling that it has something to do with training and that this is the way these interactions are supposed to occur. You see, there is a way things are done in Japan. It's learned in school and practiced in life.