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!) I would start by meeting with the student one on one to see how he feels about the other students. If he realizes that they are making fun of him, then I would further prompt the situation as to why they are doing so to see what his perception is. On that same day, I would have set up a parent, teacher conference to utilize the sandwich method where I would begin with all the great things the student is doing. I would then discuss the conversation him and I had in less detail and then speak with the parents about a plan of action that they would like to see. I would make sure to let them know that this is not to change anything and that nothing is "wrong" with him, but this aspect may want to be altered if the parents choose so to make the student more comfortable in class and in this culture. By no means does this mean that he needs to change who he is or what he stands for though.