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 that if your students are teasing the student, you should be addressing that as well. To be completely honest there is going to be a lot of times in life someone is not going to smell the best. Sometimes at the gym I encounter some smelly people, so I think it is important to share other solutions with your students and address the teasing because that is never the appropriate answer. When addressing the hygiene issue. I would reach out to the student first and ask how he is doing adjusting. Talk to him about how he has been feeling about his interactions with the other students. Get to know the student and find out if there are any religious affiliations to his choices. Just really get to know the student. Maybe due to the move they are struggling at home right now to get adjusted. I would consider giving him a little care package with some things to help. There is so many reasons for a student to have difficulties with hygiene and I think if you get to know them and understand how the move is affecting him you can get to the bottom of it.