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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!)
You should contact the parents to see if they would come in for a conference. Have the guidance counselor attend the conference so that you will have a witness to the meeting. You should simply explain that you are unfamiliar with their cultural beliefs and you do not want to offend them but you are concerned about their child's emotional well-being. Inform the parents that other students are making fun of their child because of the way he smells. Explain that in the American culture, body odor is considered offensive and the students are reacting to what they have been taught. Discuss ways of handling the situation with the parents so you are certain not to offend them.