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 think this is a very common issue with students whether they have immigrated or if they are from here. I also think that how it is handled might change depending on the age of the student. If the student is very young (4-10), a conference with the parents expressing how wonderful he is first followed by a discussion of some concerns about how he is adjusting and the fact some students are noticing that he smells "different." If the student is older (11-18), a teacher might incorporate a hygiene lesson explaining that bodies go through a lot of changes and that we need to adjust how we take care of ourselves as we get older. Either way, it is a delicate matter and should be approached with sensitivity.