Should Your Twins be in the Same Classroom?

This article from the New York Times asks readers to answer the questions. It's interesting because there are lots of responses from people who are twins. I always thinks it's important to take those accounts into consideration since those adults were once the children we consider when discussing the topic.

TWINS: THE SCHOOL YEARS

Twins: The School Years is an article from New York Metro Parent. It's notable for including the thoughts of adult twins on the topic of together or apart in school.

Ill. twins born in 2 states

You just know these parents will be explaining why their twins have two different birth dates for a long, long time.

Ill. twins born in 2 states

Kids and Costs

This comes from the Freakonomics blog. It's not directly related to multiples in school, but it's still an interesting and funny read.


Kids and Costs: A Guest Post on Twins by Bryan Caplan

What Would You Change About Your Twin?

As a parent, I always wonder what it's like to be a twin. I'm sure there are things each twin would like to change about the other, but I've never known any adult twins well enough to ask.

Luckily, USA Today did it for me. Enjoy!

Poor Teachers May Hamper Good Students

An interesting new study published in the journal Science looked at the effectiveness of teachers on identical twins. The study showed that bad teachers can do damage to children, even gifted children. It's an interesting look at how teacher quality affects a child's ability to learn. This article on the study comes from Reuters.

Separating my twins -- What was I Thinking?

I thought this was an interesting post from the Silicon Valley Moms Blog about deciding to separate twins in school.

Separating my twins -- What was I Thinking??

It's a humorous look at what happens after you decide to separate your twins in school. I'm sure anyone with children of different ages can relate too.

Which Twins?

I set a Google alert to find stories about issues related to our campaign. Naturally, one of the alerts uses "twins" as the key word.

You know what I receive most of the time? Stories about the Minnesota Twins.

It just goes to show that what a word means to you depends upon your perspective.

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

Parent Power in Placement of Twins

Here's an interesting article I found on a web site that aggregates articles. State Legislatures, a monthly magazine of state policy and politics, thought the topic of the placement of twins in the classroom merited a story in its September 2009 issue.

Now, we can only hope Illinois legislatures read Parent Power in Placement of Twins. It can only help them understand the trend sweeping across the country.

Playing Favorites

These kinds of stories make me crazy.  I heard from a Mom who worked tirelessly with the school administrators to keep her twins together in first grade.  She had meeting after meeting after meeting.  She presented research, letters from experts, etc.

Today she learned the PTA president's twins were kept together in first grade just because the PTA president asked for it.

Yes, I realize that people with connections get what they want.  I'm not new to how the system works.

I just think it's completely unfair and needs to be changed.

This is the kind of story that keeps me working on the Twins Law initiative.

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.

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.

Another Law?

When I tell people that our school district told us they would separate our twins in preschool without our consent, people are shocked. Most people just assume that parents will be included in any decision regarding their children.

Given the number of people we talk to about flexible placement of their multiples, it is clear that too many elementary schools still think twins should be separated. Why? It's a mystery to us as all the research points to a need for flexible placement.

We know that not all parents want to keep their children together. In our school district, most of the parents want their children in separate classes. We felt strongly that our children would benefit from being together. And, that's the point of our effort, really. Parents should be able to work with the schools to decide what is best.

You might be surprised to learn that we do have a resolution in Illinois. The problem is either it is ignored or school districts ignore it. And, let's face it, a resolution is nice, but it doesn't have any teeth. A law means the school district needs to follow the rules or face the consequences.

What's funny about all this is that having a flexible placement policy costs schools nothing. It's simply a meeting with parents and the principal to determine the best course of action. Even in these difficult economic times, a meeting is free, yet the outcome could make a difference between a child's success in school and his/her difficulties.

We invite you to join us in our effort to educate and legislate. Tell us your story and we'll try to help each other do what is best for our children's educations.