Twins

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Home : 2002 : February : 24

Twins
By L.P.

I had twin boys in my student teaching class last year. It was difficult at first. The mother insisted on dressing them exactly alike, making it very hard to distinguish one from the other. And they fed off each other
at circle, acting up and being noisy. They were very insecure without each other and insisted on sitting together all the time. (My master teacher didn't have assigned seats and allowed the children to sit where they liked.) I concentrated on their differences and gradually began to tell them apart. I also spent time individually with them during free time and assigned them to different

center groups. They gradually made other friends and each began to shine as an individual instead of a duo. One twin loved dinosaurs and drew them constantly. He was also a fine artist and very exacting with details. The other twin loved cats and would come in each day to tell me stories of his cat, who was always featured in his journal no matter what we were drawing.
Although this set of twins worked out okay, I don't agree with having them in the same classroom, especially as they grow older. They need to develop their own identities. It's also not easy on the teacher trying to tell them apart!