I’m sure most students have witnessed a teacher mixing up sibling’s names before. Being a twin, I can speak from personal experience. Sometimes I wonder if teachers can actually tell twins apart, or if they just go the whole year guessing which one is which. Last year, it took Ms. Daughters until second semester to be able to finally tell my twin and I apart… so you never know. Regardless, teachers compare students and siblings, and it undoubtedly occurs in our classrooms.
There’s always that awkward moment when you say hi to an old teacher in the hallway and he replies back with “Hey Christopher” because he still can’t tell you apart (yes, I’m looking at you, Mr. Level). Oh and when teachers try and hand you back your twin’s papers, that’s a whole different story.
Beyond just mixing up names, how far do teacher comparisons of siblings actually go? Whether it is based on work ethic, outspokenness, or even personalities, teachers undoubtedly develop judgments whether they mean to or not. Now, that’s not to say that these comparisons are a bad thing—they’re more of observations.
As far as being a twin goes, teachers definitely compare us as far as our classroom activity goes, yet we’re both so similar that these comparisons don’t amount to much.
When teachers have a younger sibling of an older student they once had, the experience differs. Whether the teacher got along great with a previous student or found him or her to be a troublemaker, teachers will develop biases and preconceptions on the younger sibling, influencing his or her expectations in class.
Siblings will get compared no matter what; it’s a fact these students have to understand. It should be remembered, however, that these comparisons won’t impact student success; it’s just a little something extra siblings will have to deal with—even if it involves just getting their names mixed up everyone once in a while.