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!) It is sad with I see students picking on each other about things such as this. I would send home a respectable letter to his parents about the situation. I would also ask the parents if they would like to meet and discuss the issue. I would definitely let the parents understand that their culture is very important and that I would understand completely. In addition, I would tell the parents that the students are making fun of their son because of his odor. I would not want this to occur because they have a very bright student and would not want anything to inhibit his learning. I would not want the teasing to cause him to be distracted from learning and grow angry.