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  Case: Don't Hold Hands
Ade and Elsa are two 7th grade girls from Indonesia who joined our school couple months ago. I teach them Physical Science. They have well-developed English skills. Although they have an accent, they can communicate with teachers and fellow students. I am very sensitive to the needs of newly-arrived immigrant students, so I paid close attention when I heard rumors from other students about them. Students started spreading that Ade and Elsa were in a lesbian relationship. Apparently Ade and Elsa heard about the rumors; they came to me in tears. I asked them to tell me what was going on. What I found out was very interesting. Ade and Elsa have known each other since they were small children and they have always been best friends. Their families decided to move to the US together. Their fathers applied for jobs in the same company. They both received offers and moved together. Ade and Elsa were excited about going to the same school in US and continuing their friendship. In Indonesia, same-gender friends holding hands is very common and indicates friendship. When children at our school saw Ade and Elsa holding hands they thought that Ade and Elsa were in a lesbian relationship. I have to do something about this. I see two options before me: I will explain to the children in my classes that friends holding hands in some cultures is completely normal, or I will tell Ade and Elsa to not hold hands to avoid these rumors. The second option seems culturally insensitive, but if Ade and Elsa continue holding hands, rumors will continue even if I explain to my students the cultural side of their friendship. What should I do? If you have an original solution to this issue, please advice.
Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!)
Although it isn't mentioned when exactly Ade and Elisa came to the United States, I would assume that when they joined the school a couple months ago, it was their first experience in an American school. It's great that they have well-developed English skills and can communicate well, as this well help them with the academic part of school; however, they are not necessarily skilled in the cultural part of the school community. The concept that female friends don't hold hands at their age is not something that they have been exposed to; if they haven't heard the rumors, they would have no indication that it wasn't normal, especially after seeing romantic couples holding hands in the hallway.

I think the best thing to do would be to talk both to Ade and Elsa as well as the other students, but to approach them in different ways. Perhaps Ade and Elsa can be pulled aside to explain how holding hands is different in US stories. If they haven't heard the rumors, they may appreciate being aware of them. Students at this age often desire to fit in, so I'm sure they would want to realize that something they're doing is being interpreted differently than they intended. If they are confident in themselves, this won't bother them, but they would appreciate learning about US culture. I think it only needs to be brought up with the other students if it can be done in a way that integrates it into the content area lesson, like discussing how theories of physical science come from all of the world, how cultures are different in these areas, etc. This could spur a discussion about how culture is portrayed, and students could share their experiences with different cultural traditions, which would allow the teacher to eventually bring up different views of physical touch.