Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Smelly Kid I guess I am still considered a novice teacher because I have been teaching for four years only. I am an elementary school teacher who teaches in a mostly White suburban setting. Couple of weeks ago a new student joined my classroom. He and his parents recently moved from Eastern Europe. His father works at the local university as a music professor. I am not sure what his mother does. He is a wonderful child. Although he speaks little English, he tries to participate in class activities and to make friends with others in the classroom. Couple days after he arrived, I noticed a strange smell around him. I was sure that it was body odor. The other students in the classroom started noticing it too. They started making fun of him. I learned in my multicultural classes when I was at the university that not all cultures promote taking showers everyday, and that body odor is not considered a problem everywhere in the world. Now I have a big dilemma. If I tell my student about it, I might embarrass him. If I sent a note to his parents, I may appear disrespectful toward their culture. But the way he is treated in the classroom by the other students is becoming a real problem. What should I do? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) This is a very sensitive situation, and this situation has actually happened multiple times in our school system. This is the perfect opportunity to invite the school counselor in to complete her health and wellness portion of the curriculum to the students. The program that our school uses actually hands out tangible items to each students as a hands-on "tool" for the class. The item that is handed out is deodorant, and we make sure to make a big deal about how clean and good it smells. The response we have received from this program has been quite positive, and most cultures have been open to the discussion. What I have found with most of the immigrants that I have taught, they don't want to "stick out" or bring attention to themselves. Sometimes, because it isn't as important in their culture, they just aren't aware of it. Just a simple lesson can make the all the difference in the world.