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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!) First, I would set up a teacher conference with the student parents. Initially the conference will pertain to the student's progress in class and how he is adjusting. I will give the parents the opportunity to ask questions and add any additional comments. I will inform them of how he is a wonderful child, how he tries to participate in class activities, and how he tries to make friends with others in the classroom. Then I would mention for a couple of days I have noticed he has an odor and the other students are teasing him about the odor. I am addressing this situation o prevent any additional teasing in the future. |
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