High Fives apparently aren't acceptable

During my first team here, I have been teaching level 1. My students have been great and getting to know them in class. I try to be energetic and to grab my students attention with examples from life back home, or how with what I am learning about their culture. They seem to like it. I know I have had a successful class when there was lots of smiles and when I’m completely exhausted afterwards.

I teach to both men and women, but mostly men come to the Life Center to take classes. My best student was a male. He was a fast learner and was not afraid to volunteer to practice his English in front of the class when needed. He also helps me a lot by explaining things to the other students if they do not understand. 

Recently, this particular student came to the front of the class and practiced a conversation with me from the book. He did an exceptional job and I was SO excited that he had done so well. Although, my students seem to like my energy and excitement, I learned the hard way that High Fives are probably not the best way to encourage a male student. Thankfully they showed me some grace, but after we were done practicing the conversation I tried to give the student a high five. I knew as soon as I raised my hand to give it to him that what I was about to do was culturally inappropriate. I think I turned bright red and he refused my offer of encouragement. The rest of the class burst into laughter at my mistake. I’m thankful for the smiles though because they could have reacted differently and I would have felt a lot worse. I apologized over and over and over again, and thankfully the student was really understanding and didn’t have a problem with me, he just wasn’t going to touch me. 

I got most of the class to settle down so that we could move on and finish the lesson, except two guys who sat in the back. They would NOT stop giggling over my mistake. At the end of class I apologized to the student again for the mistake I made, and my other favorite/really good student explained to me that its not okay for men to touch women, especially since that student is a married man and following their cultures religious ways, it is better for me to not do that. But he was very nice about it. As he was explaining this to me, the two guys in the back giggled and piped in that if I had tried to give them a high five, they would have been okay with it. These men are also married. I felt a little more creeped out by that comment and was happy that I had made the mistake by trying to give a high five to the student that I did. 

I think my lesson had been learned, but high fives are a common thing back home, so I hope that out of impulse I don’t make this same mistake in the months to come.