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!) First of all, you should address the students who are making fun of the new student from Europe. Even if the new student does have a body odor, it is not acceptable for other students to make fun of him. Your students should be made aware of their improper behavior. In regards to addressing the body odor issue, you should partner and consult with the school counselor and the school nurse to formulate a solution to the problem. I think that the use of school support personnel could really help you with this dilemma by providing you with a measure of detachment from the issue so that the student does not feel as if you are siding with the students that are making fun of him. Many times, school counselors have experience dealing with these types of issues. Additionally, you could contact the student's parents by phone and discuss the issues that are occurring at school. You will want to make sure that you are speaking from the standpoint that you have their child's best interest at the forefront. This may help to ease the discomfort in speaking about the subject matter for both parties. Perhaps after you speak with the student's parents, the school nurse could present a hygiene lesson to your class and the counselor could discuss with your class how cultures differ and that each society does not ascribe to the same practices.                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes The suggested solution is original Yes Comments: I agree with the fact that you should meet up with the school nurse and contact the parents so that the issue can subside. Rated On: October 17, 2014 4:09 pm Rated By: TuBuJy                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes The suggested solution is original Yes Comments: Great post!!! Rated On: July 10, 2015 2:44 am Rated By: RaMevy                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes The suggested solution is original Yes Comments: I think you present some great ideas Rated On: October 18, 2015 4:41 am Rated By: Krystalynn Gulczewski