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Separating multiples means comparing teachers

One obvious point about separation is often forgotten. Yet it can dramatically increase problems and rivalry between the multiples. This is that multiples in different classes inevitably means a comparison of teachers, something teachers may find unsettling when they think about it! The decision about separation involves personalities and cannot be considered as a purely academic one. It must be thought of in very concrete terms- this year "Mr Bloggs" will teach one child and "Mrs Smith" the other(s). Suppose "Mrs Smith" is a teacher with an infectious enthusiasm for learning and "Mr Bloggs" is a much more authoritarian teacher. Then one child may come home with a very positive attitude about learning while the other(s) may feel exactly the opposite. It may be difficult for the school staff to cope with direct comparisons, but it is better that such issues be considered before the children are separated, than after serious differences between teachers have become apparent. At this time even more attention would be focussed on differences in teaching style.

It is often impossible to know just which teachers children will have in the next year. For singleborn children this may not matter but it may be a vital issue for multiples where separation is being planned and schools need to recognise this when the decision is being made.