Twinnies
The NYT had an interesting article recently about separating twins in the classroom. Apparently, Illinois recently changed the rules so that parents could petition to keep twins in the same classroom in school. When I was in elementary school there was a pretty strong rule to keep us separated. But before, when we went to Catholic school in New York, there was only one class per grade, so there wasn't any separating to be done.
So, which method was better for the Mental Health and Wellbeing of the twinnies? Well...
From first to third grade, Michael and Anna ruled the playground with a benevolent yet iron fist(s). We were together and we were the coolest cats in town, had social skills and were quite the popular twosome. Teachers loved us, children feared and respected us and we would soon become the Awesomest Kids in Catskill.
And then we moved to Illinois. And with it, the cruel and ridiculous rule that AnnaAndMichael, could be no more. We were torn apart, each to our separate feifdoms where we could no long rule as golden tyrants. Without the other to "fill in the gaps" of our respective social skills, we floundered. For the next three years, our unfortunate haircuts, my choice to wear flower-printed culottes to the first day of fifth grade and being two years behind in Recorder Skills (the ubiquitous flute-pipe instrument that the Midwest thought integral to any young child's musical growth that, unfortunately, Upstate Catholic Education frowned upon) --- the Twins were at the bottom of the social totem pole. And there we stayed, for much of our elementary school education, in our separate spheres of doom and despair.
And we weren't wowing the academcis, either. Stupid and nerdy, not a good combo.
Upon entering high school, we started being in the same classes and I traded in the culottes for a snappy pair of white denim overalls. And -- SUCCESS --- again we were stationed at the top of our academic class and moved our way up from the bottom of the social ladder to, say, the third step. Maybe.
Lessoned learned? Let twinnies be together! And, under no circumstances, allow the female counterpart to wear billowy culottes on the first day of school.
So, which method was better for the Mental Health and Wellbeing of the twinnies? Well...
From first to third grade, Michael and Anna ruled the playground with a benevolent yet iron fist(s). We were together and we were the coolest cats in town, had social skills and were quite the popular twosome. Teachers loved us, children feared and respected us and we would soon become the Awesomest Kids in Catskill.
And then we moved to Illinois. And with it, the cruel and ridiculous rule that AnnaAndMichael, could be no more. We were torn apart, each to our separate feifdoms where we could no long rule as golden tyrants. Without the other to "fill in the gaps" of our respective social skills, we floundered. For the next three years, our unfortunate haircuts, my choice to wear flower-printed culottes to the first day of fifth grade and being two years behind in Recorder Skills (the ubiquitous flute-pipe instrument that the Midwest thought integral to any young child's musical growth that, unfortunately, Upstate Catholic Education frowned upon) --- the Twins were at the bottom of the social totem pole. And there we stayed, for much of our elementary school education, in our separate spheres of doom and despair.
And we weren't wowing the academcis, either. Stupid and nerdy, not a good combo.
Upon entering high school, we started being in the same classes and I traded in the culottes for a snappy pair of white denim overalls. And -- SUCCESS --- again we were stationed at the top of our academic class and moved our way up from the bottom of the social ladder to, say, the third step. Maybe.
Lessoned learned? Let twinnies be together! And, under no circumstances, allow the female counterpart to wear billowy culottes on the first day of school.
posted by Anna @ 1:33 PM
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