My oldest son is in 4th grade. There are 22 boys and 6 girls in his class. We are starting fall with a heat wave here in the Bay Area. Yesterday a note came home in from our teacher requesting that folks either start wearing deodorant or showering in the morning before coming to school. I've heard from others as well as my sister how is a teacher that 4th grade is often the begining of body odor so I wasn't to surprised. I had actually already had this discussion with my son and started him using deodorant as well as washing his face every morning when school started. It goes without saying that showers are non-negotiable. Proud parenting moment for me. What surprised me this morning at drop off this morning was how many people were borderline offended. Sort of like, how dare you suggest my child should use deodorant. I pointed out that it was not aimed at anyone person but there are 30 kids in the class, it is 100 degrees outside and they go outside and play soccer or baseball or just go to PE, there is no air conditioning in the classroom. I don't blame the teacher. I have totally noticed in driving carloads of my son's friends around to varrious practices, there comes a time when they stop smelling like wet puppies and frankly start to smell, well let's just say less than fresh. More like gym lockers.
What do you all think? Would you have been offended?
I grew up in a small town where the highschool and middleschool were combined and I still remember the stench of the middle school wing, where most of the kids had not yet started to wear deodorant. I do not think that the teacher's request was inappropriate at all.
ReplyDeleteI think the note was reasonable. I have to suggest Avon deoderant/antip. Have you ever tried it. NO I am not a rep but the stuff is WAY better than the store brands and less expensive to boot. Lot of free shipping codes around as well to order online. For us moms the Clear is fantatic. Truly clear and stain free on clothing. Also like the Feel n Fresh for men or women. On sale for 99 cents right now. Really amazing stuff!
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing a little because I am a 4th/5th grade teacher. The kids definitely need to start wearing deodorant and many of them should be washing their hair more often. This is such a delicate subject. The teacher would never want to offend anyone...but it's life.
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