 |
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, I agree. I think that the best this to do would be to have a conversation with his parents first. I do not think that this is something that should be discussed via written note or email, though, so I would suggest asking if they were able to meet with them in person so that they understand that you are trying to be as sensitive to their culture and their son as possible. In the end, I think it can be resolved without incident as long as the student's parents realize that you are simply trying to look out for their son's best interest in the end and that you will respect whatever actions that wish to take on the matter. If it continues or escalates, the students who are making fun of him need to be spoken to on an individual basis so that you can try to help them understand the different beliefs of the new student's culture. Sensitivity is key in the situation in my opinion. |
||
Rating
|
||||||||||||||||||