Touching

=**Boys and touching**=

Scenario--You are a 4th grade teacher with a new boy in your class from Syria. He speaks very little English. He is having a problem getting along with the other students. He has fights on the playground which he seems to provoke by constantly touching the other boys.

Response--American boys generally older than 3rd grade do not touch each other except during contact sports or when fighting.l This is the way they are socialized. In Middle Eastern countries boys playing on a playground are constantly touching each other. When a Middle Eastern child does this on an American playground, he may end up in many fights. The American boys see this as "sissy" behavior.

Touching
Cultural Scenario-As your second grade class lines up for a field trip, you count your students as you walk down the line touching each of them on the head. You notice that several students pull back from you. Response-This is something that primary teachers do all the time. Particularly, in Southeast Asia, touching the head is taboo because it is believed that the spirit or soul of a person resides in their head. A head is considered almost sacred. To be on the safe side refrain from touching any Asian students on the head.