Can you imagine?

My husband figured as our kids were pre-k that we'd have them in the same classroom indefinitely. The school policy (I called) was to seperate. Their 2nd year of preschool convinced him (I figured we'd be splitting them up) that splitting them up was the way to go. So, in Kindergarten, they were in seperate classrooms. Worked out great! I just talked to my son's Kindergarten teacher yesterday and I asked her about those identical faces I saw in her class. She gave me a HUGE sigh and told me that she has TWO sets of IDENTICAL twins in her classroom, on opposite days. She has a hard time telling the boys apart (more than the girls I saw yesterday). She also told me that Audrey's kindergarten teacher has a set of identical twins in her classroom as well. Knowing that the school policy is to split them up, I cannot imagine what happened. The parents either did not care that they were together or pushed the issue. Someone at school either dropped the ball or the parents all pushed to have them all together. I cannot imagine being the teacher.

I was seperated from my sister in school.

 

That would be so confusing! I know my husband has a few sets of ID's that he teaches on opposite days. He still has to check roll to remember which is coming in before their class is brought in.

Here's a funny- We've actually had the girls' names picked out since early in our marriage (not for twins, but for daughters in general). The year we were pregnant he actually had an ID set in one of his classes who were also named Alexis and Samantha. He said that they were such sweet girls that he saw it as a sign that we would survive multiples.

 

My girls are in the same class but our school is parent choice which I think they can't push separating. Our teacher has never had trouble telling my girls apart

 

If it is policy to split it was the parents request.

Splitting is not always the best policy, it needs to be in the best interest of the kids (not the teachers). Unless there are obvious issues I don't see why you would take that comfort from a child. There are children that bring things from home (pictures, stuffed animals) as a comfort or transitional item, there are parents that make requests for their kids to be with certain friends, teachers can put together kids that work well or are friends together (or split kids that do not work together) I don't see why people find it necessary to decide (especially at an early age) that these kids cant have that thing that makes them feel safe. Oh yeah, because they are twins and must learn that they are separate people (like they don't already know that).

Yes there are occasions that kids do better apart but I have also see those that do great (individually) when their sibling is in the class too.

 

My boys are together for preschool - and pending some unforeseen issue that that the preschool teacher or I notice between now and Fall 2013, they will be in the same Kdg. class. No one has too much trouble telling them apart at preschool - yes, sometimes they have to take a second look to be sure, but they know them. I think it is a very individual decision. What's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander.

That said, that is crazy that there are that many identical twins in one grade level! :faint:

 

I am certainly not saying that all twins must be seperated. I am also amazed that there are three identical sets in kindergarten. One of the teachers have half a set of twins as well in her classroom. I find it unique that ALL the identical twins in kindergarten are together. Not just ONE set or even two, but THREE! The teacher certainly was not complaining. She was as surprised as I was. That is all.

 

There was a set of ID boys in Jesse's K class and the teacher spent much of her time breaking them up. They used to fight with each other constantly. I noticed the next year they were separated !
My guys have always been separate .. it works well for us.

 

There are two sets of twins in M&M's grade (including them). They split both sets of twins up putting the twins with the same teachers. The teachers told us that they were going to do homework the same night and a lot of the same stuff so that the moms of twins wouldn't get confused. I love that!

 

The girls have another half of a twin set in the class( preemie boy 28 weeks both twins repeating k) but we have several sets in the grade with most split

 

There are several sets of identical twins at our boys' school, but they aren't all in kindergarten! There's about 5-6 sets of just identical twins in a school population of 300, which are pretty high numbers.

My boys are in the same first grade class and there is a set of frat twins in their class, too. The only time their teacher tends to mix them up is when she assigns pictures to projects they have done. But I'm guilty of that from time to time myself

 

Many times when twins are left together it is due to parent choice. In Marc and Jon's grade, there are 4 sets of twins, all have been split since K, and knowing all the parents, none of us wanted them together. I have always said mine would torture the teacher. It would not be fair to a teacher to deal with the sibling stuff that goes on, and in turn, not fair to the entire class! In our school system, there was a set of triplets that the mother insisted on being together until 3rd grade. They finally told her she had to split going into 4th (she was actually teaching in the school at the time), and it was the best thing for those kids. They were a distraction to the class. Academically, they all did better when they were in different classes as well.

Now, in 4th and 5th grade, our school has 2 teacher teams. My boys, and 2 of the other sets, have the same team. Which means, same teachers, same homework, but at different times. They are together for 20 min. 3 days a week for word study, but even then, the teacher keeps them apart, because they will get silly together (they will have to get over it by middle school, when they will be together due to ability grouping). One parent opted to let her boys go to different teams so they would each have the teacher that is best suited to the child.

 

There are 3 1st grade classes in our district (so about 60 kids). 5 sets of twins and 4 are ID. Only 1 set is split (policy is to keep together unless parents request). My girls have 3 sets in their class. Their teacher is an ID twin so I guess "they" thought she would have an easier time with them, lol.

 

This is a great discussion as I have 38 members of my twins' group locally around here. As far I know there is 3 set of twins' will be entering K next Fall 2012 that I know of in my neighbors. This give me a better idea what it would be like when they hit to '1, 2, 3, and 4th grade as well. Our twins' and another set of twins I watch are boy/girl which make it much easier but like you said, they DO get silly at times if they were in the same class. I have asked the Mom if she planning to keep them together for K or not? She has said she prefer to keep them together but I told her I am separating mine only because they both have their own personality, the teacher recommended (teacher/parent conference), and then academically my son is advancing with reading/math.

In fact, at my twins' preschool (4 yr old class) has 4 set of twins but 3 of us are boy/girl. And then they had the same teacher from last year so it was good that she knew what to expect from my twins' this year. *All of us missed the cut off date by Sept 1st.

Thanks for this discussion!
Diana

 

There are 6 sets of twins in kindergarten at my DDs' school this year (among 5 kindergarten classes -- it's a big school). I think two sets are ID and the others are frats. My frats are in the same class and one other set of twins is also together, but the other sets (including the ID sets) are separated.

However, the separated ones have completely different teachers -- not the same teacher but at different times. I think that last option would be the most confusing of all for the teacher!

FWIW, I kept mine together because it was completely parent choice, they wanted to be together, and their preschool teachers all agreed they would do fine together. I don't think there's any negative "sibling stuff" with them -- for the most part they do their own thing, though they stick together when one or both of them is nervous about something.

I might separate them next year so they don't have the same pool of friends, though. It's a little tricky to navigate which friends are truly shared vs. being one twin's "special" friend.

 

I have an ID twin and honestly, I will separate my kids as soon as I can. 'Doing well' together is awesome, but IMO it's not good enough... not having your own friends until you're 14 (when we got split up finally) just really stinks.

 

Mine are in 1st together and for the reasons above.

There are 4 sets of twins across 3 classrooms. Two are split and two are not.

 

I would push. Mine want to stay together and I'll make sure they do!

 

Not to mention, they CAN speak. So they can tell people WHO they are. Honestly, this doesn't scare me AT ALL. I'm thrilled my boys will be in the same class! They are in same preschool class and do GREAT!

 

I asked for mine to be together. I did discuss it with their preschool teacher first, and she said that they would do fine together, so we asked for them to be together. There is another girl in their classroom who is a twin, and appears to be an identical. Her sister is in another class, but I think it would have been very hard on S & A's teacher to have had two sets of identical twins in her class. I so try to make it easier on their teacher by dressing them different, different hair, etc., but there are times when they insist that they dress like "twins" so I let them, and Lord help her on those days. However, being together and having kids constantly mistake their identity is taking its toll on Allison who has asked to be in her own class without her sister next year. It's about to kill Sarah, but I will do what she asks...I dread it personally! I like them being together.