School Conflict

The girls are forced into a third year of preschool because their birthday falls just after the deadline. Although we LOVE their current preschool, we decided to check out our public school district's pre-K program. It's closer to home, runs five days a week, and is a good introduction to regular public school class settings.

We walked in and took the tour. The facilities were nice. The teachers taught an academic program designed to meet or exceed state guidelines. It all seemed like good fit for the girls. Near the end of the tour, I told the teacher that we wanted to keep the girls together. She said the school district always separates twins.

And so the battle began.

I'm sure she thinks we're going to follow the school district's recommendations without questioning the logic behind them. This is where she is completely wrong. Call me crazy, but I don't think people who have never spent a single moment with our daughters are in the best position to make decisions about what is best for the girls. It's not that I think all twins should be kept together, but I definitely don't think they should all be separated.

There is something you read about called twin discrimination in school. It's subtle, but twins message boards are full of stories. Parents report being given one parent/teacher conference time for both children, rather than one time slot for each child. Or there are situations where teachers give one end-of-the year gift to a set of twins because "they can share."

This is the first time we've run into it. I plan on fighting it until teachers, principals, and school administrators realize twins cannot be lumped together any more than single children. It won't be easy, but our daughters are depending on us to get it right. Their educations are too important not to fight.