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 bring the parents in to discuss the situation with them, prior to discussing it with the student. I would stay very objective and factual during the parent conference. I would discuss that their child is being picked on in the classroom. Since I am not sure if his body odor has any relation to his culture I would approach that very carefully. Perhaps he simply isn't scrubbing in the bath, or needs to start wearing deodorant earlier than the majority of other kids. I would discuss the odor and how it is impacting him in the classroom. If the parents feel comfortable sharing the reasoning with me, I would talk with them about what they could do to help at home. I would ensure the parents understood that I am only looking out for his well-being and am in no way judging him or their parenting techniques.