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 first speak to the other students in the classroom and make them stop making fun of him. Body odor can be a problem for many children, not just immigrants; students who live in poverty or have certain disabilities often have a hard time keeping clean. While it is not pleasant, it is not fair to allow the other students to make fun of him. Then, I would talk with the parents. I think that if this is not addressed, it will grow and continue to plague your student and cause him problems as long as he is a student in the U.S. He is too young to understand or have to make the decision himself. I would respectfully explain to his parents that the other students have noticed that he smells, and that children in the U.S. are sensitive to this. I think that, with tact, the teacher can make the parents aware of the situation without causing embarrassment. The parents may need to adjust to this cultural difference as well- making them aware of the situation could save them from embarrassment or stigmatization.                 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 this solution because it deals with the problem directly. I think it is important for the teacher to discuss with the parents the smell and let them know that their child is getting picked on because of it. I would tell them that children wear deodorant in the US and leave the decision up to them. Rated On: October 19, 2014 1:26 pm Rated By: yjeNus