What Does the Research Tell Us

This is a well-written article with lots of interesting links to research about twins in the classroom.

Twins and Classroom Placement:
What Can Parents Learn From the Research?

The Educational Effective of Forced Separation on Twins

This is a very interesting research paper by Jamison J. Grimes of the University of Toledo. The qualitative study reviews existing research on twins in school and also interviews three sets of twins.

To no one's surprise, the research and the interviews uncover negative effects of forced separation of twins.

This is another study that questions why schools still routinely separate multiples, rather than taking their individual needs in account on a case by case basis.

The first few pages of the study are available for free. The rest of the study can be purchased at the site.

Are twins ill-rewarded for what they teach us?

This is a new study about twins in school. While the study was done in the United Kingdom, the results are applicable anywhere.

Here's my favorite paragraph from the article:

The TAMBA report suggests two other failings in the system: it criticizes the policy of splitting twins up by putting them in different classes without taking parents' wishes into account, and it condemns the inflexibility it claims many local authorities show in refusing to allow parents of premature multiples the chance to hold them back a school year.

Read the entire article at http://www.preventionaction.org/prevention-news/twins-twins/5146

Need a New Sponsor

With great appreciation for all his work, I'm sad to say Representative Paul Froehlich is going to retire from the Illinois House of Representatives after this term.  He was our champion for the Twins Bill.

Since he is retiring, we need a new sponsor.  If you are interested in approaching your representative, please contact me at slcs48n1 (at) yahoo.com.  I can give you the specifics.

State of Illinois House of Representatives Elementary Education Committee

We need to start contacting the Illinois House of Representatives Elementary Education Committee. Below is a complete list of those people who can help us move our bill from an idea to a law. If you can help us contact these elected officials, please email me. I'll help you pull together your letter.

http://www.ilga.gov/house/committees/members.asp?CommitteeID=587&GA=96


Role Representative Party
Chairperson : Michael K. Smith D
Vice-Chairperson : Fred Crespo D
Republican Spokesperson : Jerry L. Mitchell R
Member: Suzanne Bassi R
Member: John D. Cavaletto R
Member: Marlow H. Colvin D
Member: Monique D. Davis D
Member: Lisa M. Dugan D
Member: Roger L. Eddy R
Member: Robert F. Flider D
Member: Paul D. Froehlich D
Member: Esther Golar D
Member: David E. Miller D
Member: Harry Osterman D
Member: Sandra M. Pihos R
Member: Robert W. Pritchard R
Member: David Reis R
Member: Darlene J. Senger R
Member: Jim Watson R
Member: Karen A. Yarbrough D

Seeking 70s Clothing

Are you going to the Illinois Organization Of Mother Of Twins Clubs convention in October? We'll be there exhibiting on Saturday, October 17. Stop by to learn more about the Illinois Twins Law effort and how you can help.

Now, if we can just find some clothes to fit with the 1970s theme...

Illinois Legislature in Slow Mo AGAIN

By now we thought we'd be asking you to contact your legislators about supporting our Twin Law bill. We thought we'd be well on our way to building support so your senators and representatives would go back to Springfield in the fall with this issue on their agendas.

Sorry! It turns out we forgot we live in Illinois, a state unable to pass a budget on time.

We're still crossing our fingers we'll be able to report good news soon, but we know nothing will happen until after the legislature passes a budget.

Kudos to District 68 for Working with Parents of Multiples

Here is another Mom's story. Kudos to District 68 for including parents in the decision. This is a model of what we wish for every school district in Illinois.

I live in Woodridge, District 68 schools. Here it is up to the parents to decide what to do, but the school recommends splitting them. My boys started 3 year old preschool last year and we split them because it was clear to us that is what was best. One guy is the leader and the other guy sort of a follower and was a little behind in speech and other things due to a heart defect which was then repaired but the recovery caused delays in development. We knew he needed to be in a different class so he could grow without his twin around. the boys had no issues being split and are best friends at home.

I'm sure for other parents the decision is much more difficult. Although in some cases I think some parents just want it easier - one teacher, one set of rules, homework, etc. I often wonder how I will do Curriculum Night when my twins start Kindergarten and my oldest is in 4th grade. One hour, three teachers. But in my case, I have helped in the classrooms for my oldest son, PTO board, and have gotten to know the teachers so I don't think it will be too difficult to manage three kids, three classes. Parents of multiple singletons do it so I can do.

We plan to keep them split unless they specifically tell us they want to be together and then we'll discuss it. We might not have a choice in Kindergarten because if there aren't enough kids to make two AM or PM classes, they'll be in the same class. But after that, they are split again. That has been our experience so far.

Letter to the Editor

We recently sent a letter to the editor as part of our effort to raise awareness of the issues parents of multiple face when trying to determine school placement. So far, we know the letter has appeared in many places. Recently, parents of twins sent me these two links:

Champaign-Urbana News Gazette

State Journal-Register

Have you seen the letter? If so, please send us the link. We'd like to try to keep track of where the letter is published.

We need your stories

We're starting to speak with Illinois legislators. Many of them are asking about what is happening in their districts. We need to hear your stories about your multiples in school.

Was the school administration supportive? Did you run into obstacles? If so, how did you overcome the obstacles? Or did you overcome the obstacles?

Please send your stories to Shari at slcs48n1 at yahoo.com. Please let me know where you live so I can keep track of which elected officials represent your district.

Response to the Northwest Herald Article

Shari,

I read the article in today's Northwest Herald. I have 5-year-old twins who will be in kindergarten this fall. When I registered my children at the elementary school, I wrote on the form that I wanted my children in the same classroom. The principal would not meet with me in person. After some weeks with no return phone call, I called again, and the principal spoke to me on the phone. This principal was so out of line in the way she spoke to me on the phone. She doesn't know me and doesn't know my children. She doesn't want to know us, and doesn't care about the reason I was asking my twins be placed in the same classroom. When I asked her why, her response was, 'because I said so'. When I asked if this was a rule for the district, she responded, 'it's my rule'. When I told her I had a recommendation from the pre-school my children attended, she said she doesn't care what anyone else says, she does what she wants and the district stands behind her. I said I thought I was making a simple request, she interrupted me and said, 'I don't take parent requests'.


I then requested a meeting with the superintendent. He wouldn't meet with me, but spoke to me on the phone, ending by saying he'd get back to me. He never got back to me, but had the principal write me a letter. The principal's letter was very toned down compared to the phone conversation I had with her, but in her letter basically said my children were not my responsibility when they were in her school.


This has been a horrible experience for me and my family. I will be writing my Senator about enacting the Twin Law. Until today, I didn't know this existed.


Though my husband and I cannot financially afford to send our children to a private school, there is no way we will send our children to the elementary school near our home (3 doors away!!). Since my conversation with this principal, I have heard so many bad occurrences involving this principal. And, I don't want to make a big stink about this and then have my children singled out or have my children be frightened in any way by anyone in the school, including the office staff. I just find it hard to believe the superintendent refused to meet with me in person, and another principal in the same district also refused to meet with me in person. I've been very polite and I don't understand why this is happening. Every child is an individual. Just like all children are not the same, all twins are not the same.


Thank you very much.


Sincerely,
Maria
(Crystal Lake)

Northwest Herald Article

A big thank you to Crystal Lindell for this great article.

http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2009/05/14/r_b4zvg9gxsisayr0husoaqq/index.xml

The really great thing about this article is that it is another example of how prevalent the issue remains. It's not something only a few parents in a few suburbs or rural school districts deal with. The question about whether or not to separate twins is universal.

Crystal also talks to several experts who give different dimensions to the issue. It's a great illustration of how the issue breaks down between parents and school districts.

Thank You Clusters!

I had fun last night with the Clusters club. These Moms of Multiples were fun and engaging. We talked about how I ended up with a story in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Twins and More. We chatted about Twins Law and several people shared their thoughts and stories.

At some point during my talk, I started thinking, "Oh #$*&! I don't have any business cards." Yes, in my most professional manner, I had to write my contact information on a scrap of paper. I know, it was impressive.

The Clusters moms were wonderful. Thank you very much for the opportunity to learn about your group and talk about the Twins Law campaign. I look forward to working together as the Twins Law campaign marches towards success.

Thank you Southtown Star!

We recently sent a letter to the editor regarding Illinois Twins Law. Shortly after, I spoke with Guy Tridgell about our efforts. Here's the article he wrote about Twins Law.

http://www.southtownstar.com/news/tridgell/1560268,050609tridgell.article

Of course, being a true journalist, he first spoke with the legislative reporter at the newspaper. While she wasn't aware of the Twins Law effort, she did know about the issue. She told him if he hadn't heard about the ongoing battle between parents and schools, he must not have friends with twins.

It's a fun and funny article. I especially like the beginning when he notes the other issues in front of the Illinois Legislature. I hope you enjoy it as well!

What's Your Story

We need your stories to make the blog come alive. We'd like to hear what works for your twins in the classroom and what doesn't. We'd like to know how you decided whether to keep your twins together or to separate them. Mostly, we'd like to hear what is going on throughout Illinois.

This isn't a forum to bash educators. This is a forum to learn more about how we can all work together to provide the best opportunities for our children. These stories will vary from family to family, but every story has something we can learn from and possibly adapt for our multiples.

This also isn't the northern Illinois Twins Law blog. We need stories from families across the state. We've talked to many of you, so we know the needs are the same whether you are in an urban or a rural school district.

If you're interested in contributing to the blog, please contact me, Shari Schmidt, at slcs48n1 at yahoo.com.

A Lot of Work to Do

I was at a school function when another twins Mom starting talking about her daughters. She was stunned to find out we were able to keep our girls together this school year. She was told last year that her daughters couldn't stay together, so the school district separated them.

It's one more example of the arbitrary way school districts treat twins. I know a family in our district with 4th grade twins who were able to keep the boys together last year and this year. Yet, in the preschool program, a set of twins was separated.

People say we don't need another law and I'd agree. We have waaaaay too many laws already. The problem is unless it is a law, most administrators won't even bother with it. We do have a resolution, but most educators don't know about it and if they do, they do not pay any attention to it.

It's these kinds of stories that keep us motivated to make sure that all parents, in all school districts in Illinois have a seat at the table when decisions are made about the placement of their twins.