I hug the kids at playgroup when they come back after long absences, usually in response to them flinging themselves at me. I never draw back from a child when they hug me but I try not to spontaneously hug them.

If a child needs comfort I spread my hand between their shoulder blades and apply a tiny bit of pressure, try this on your partner and vice verse, it's comforting.

We are a new dimension in a child's life and not replacements for parents and close family and friends. I think children respect the difference and we should too.

Let's face it: School is not exactly over-protective here and shaking hand IS an expression of affection. OP is from Israel, so in deed... huge difference.
If I were the parent, I would just tell the teacher that my child is used to more contact for reassurance and that can be a good way to calm him down or lift him up (I don't know, just whatever is relevant in your case). I'm sure you'll find the opportunity to talk about these little cultural details without making it sound like a reproach :-)

The teachers at the primary school in our village do hug when they feel it is necessary, especially in the infants. We regularly help with outings, etc, and they seem to strike the balance just right.

Kissing and hugging is supposed to be reserved for people close to you or the child. A teacher / pupil relationship is something more formal.

Parents can easily fill the gap for the need of a hug.

Why the teacher?

I'm no fan of kissing and hugging.

A child who has fallen over in the playground and gashed her/his knees or hands- or a child who has lost a family member, or even a beloved pet... so many good reasons when a hug from the teacher can help. I am glad I live out in the sticks where not everybody believe that any teacher who hugs a child in distress is sick!

Hugs or no hugs..

All I can say is don't strip emotions off young children... you'll end up with kids dressed in all black clothes, pierced to the max, sitting on the bus angry at the world.

The world can be a crummy place as you get older and childhood should be a time for kids to be happy and ignorant of the 'crummyness'. If it involves keeping emotions in tact, do so.

My opinion...
quinn

Things can be cold and formal here in the Swiss German part. Discipline to the fore.

Sadly, many kids with quieter characters are stripped of spontaneous emotion and can become even fearful of adults. Many friends have commented on this - also the French school system comes in for similar criticism. I've also watched British and Swiss kids together and the British kids seem to be more confident and have better social skills.
I thought perhaps I was biased, but a teacher friend of mine ( who teaches both nationalities ) said she had observed this too.
On the other hand, things are still more natural here when it comes to not overdoing health and safety issues, political correctness and so on. Our local Kindergarten doesn't have (or need) a fence around it - the kids are well looked after.
So - advantages and disadvantages.

If I read this thread, Swiss kindergarten teachers are anything from militaristic disciplinarians who will gladly send kids up the nearest chimney to luvvie duvvie tree huggers.

I wonder where the truth is...

Cheers,
Nick

Typical Switzerland.... haha. Either no one knows, or there is an too many answers to believe. :-)

I'm sure people just do things differently everywhere you go.
quinn

I am lucky that in my child's class they greet him with a hug - of course he is 2.5 and the school is primarily international children. And he seems to spend alot of time with a teacher :/ I can tell which teacher he was assigned to based on which perfume he is wearing. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised with the affection that he has received compared to my friends' children in the French schools.