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Kindergarten teacher sees double — three times overBy Mary-Anne OlivarIf you hive ■ hird time matching a face with a name «ik Marilyn Kauffman, kindergarten teacher at Mit chell Elementary School, how she manages with tjiree sets of identical twina in her class.She la often confused. But by now she has memorized which child aita where and telling them apart is easier.‘The worat la when they're on the playground or when they're playing in the classroom, she says. But their parents don't always dress them completely alike, ao I notice what kind of socks one of them wears so 1 can tell the difference.Wednesday afternoon, Kristy and Kim Dugger, BFD 3, had similar dresses and ahoea but their aocks were different. Whenever they had a chance they'd hold hands and if one was called on the other one would perk up too.The other set of twina are Kari and Shari Bengaton, 1613 Weit 22nd; and Katherine and Kimberly Gineat, uao West 30th.Kauffman doesn't think it's auch a great idea for siblings to be in the same classroom ao she has tried to streas their individuality.But, *he sayi, ’They realty do like much the same thing*. AU of them have made separate friends but when they get free time they play together snd pick the same things.”By now their classmates are used to having twina intheir class but in the playground fifth and sixth graders are still fascinated by the twins.So is Kauffman, who has never had three sets of twins before in her classroom, but for different reasons.“When they took the readiness test, at the beginning of the year, two of the three sets scored within two pointB of the other child, she says of the test that quizzes kindergartners on their knowledge of the alphabet.They still have different personalities and at times you can tell. When they follow directions you can see that one child is more dominating than the other.Being dominated by a sister is one of the disadvantages Kauffman sees in having twins in a same classroom.For a child it's important to be an individual, ’ she says, “not just the other half of a twin. If I were a child I wouldn’t like my mother to know that I goofed something at school.It’s too early to tell whether each set of twins will progress at the same speed. But Kauffman is anxious U watch them grow up and to see for instance whether they’U loae teeth at the same time.And of legendary tricks that twins pull on others, Kauffman says, ‘They still haven't tried to pull any •witch on me, but they'll learn before the end of the year.”WHO'S WHO in Marilyn Kauffman's kindergarten class? From left, front row, are Kimberly and Katherine Gineat, daughters of Russell and Connie Gineat, 1120 Weat 30th. From left, back row:|Nm» Ptoto *7 Ntacy «**!Kim and Kriaty Dugger, daughters of Fred and An© Dugger, RFD 3; Kauffman; and Kari and Shari Bengston. daughters of James and Barbara Bengston, 1618 West 22nd.Digital Archives ofThe Hutchinson NewsHutchinson News, September 27, 1979 Pg. 34, Hutchinson, Kansas, US https://hutchnews.newspaperarchive.eom/hutchinson-news/1979-09-27/page-34/
Newspaper Details
Hutchinson News
Hutchinson, Kansas, US
Thu, Sep 27, 1979
Page 44
Full Page
Clipped by
Paul K.
USA 22 Aug 2024
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