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 send a note home with the child for their parents to come in for a teacher/parent meeting when available so there could be face to face interaction. I would express firstly that I am not meaning to sound disrespectful in any way, but their child has began to have an odor that surrounds him in the classroom and the young students have taken notice. Of course, reinforcing that bullying is not tolerated and the students who have made remarks have also gone home with letters to parents, but wanting to discuss the possible disruption of the class due to this odor. I would let the parents know that it is aware by everyone in the class and has become a distraction to their young, easily distractible minds.