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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 definitely inform the counselor about him and have him talk with him and his parents if need be. This would not be a situation in which I felt comfortable with addressing. I definitely would not want to offend his culture or heritage. |
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Rating
The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) |
No
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The suggested solution is relevant to the case |
No
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The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement |
No
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The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue |
No
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The suggested solution is original |
No
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Comments: I don't believe sending him to the counselor would help. She is not in the classroom and will not be able to relate the information sensitively to parents. |
Rated On: October 15, 2014 12:51 am |
Rated By: ySaryN |
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Rating
The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) |
No
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The suggested solution is relevant to the case |
Yes
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The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement |
Yes
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The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue |
No
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The suggested solution is original |
No
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Comments: Passing off all responsibility is not what I would do. I am responsible for the way students treat each other in my class. |
Rated On: October 18, 2014 10:05 pm |
Rated By: puQuZu |
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Rating
The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) |
No
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The suggested solution is relevant to the case |
No
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The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement |
No
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The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue |
No
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The suggested solution is original |
No
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Comments: Though getting a councilor involved is a good idea, it should not be in place of teacher involvement. |
Rated On: October 19, 2015 1:07 am |
Rated By: tygaBu |
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