Something in the Water....

Sometimes I feel like a celebrity when I walk through the halls of the school where I spend the most time as a substitute. On my way to whichever class I'm headed to in the morning, nearly every child greets me,

Hello children! 

"Hello Miss Barry!" 

A 6th grader noticed my new haircut the other day. The secretary loaned me a dollar once for a soda, and when I paid her back we became buddies.
The teachers know me and have my phone number, so I usually spend 2-3 days each week at this school.

And with so much time spent in one place, I've noticed something.

Twins.

The number of identical twins in this school is unlike any other place I've experienced. In preschool alone, there are three sets of twins. That means out of 16 children in one room, 6 look exactly like another one. And of course, every mother with identical 4-year-olds dresses them in identical outfits. Perhaps with different-colored shoelaces to remember who is who. By the end of a long-ish stint with them, I was almost to the point where I could look for other subtle differences in facial structure before checking the shoelaces. Which one are you?

Like this, but not evil. Usually.

4th grade has two sets of identicals split up between two classes. So when my homeroom 4th grade walks out and the one next door walks in, it looks to me like two of my students left and came right back in to sit down.

5th grade has a set.

So does 6th.

All identical.

In such a small school, I can't get over how many classrooms get to enjoy watching Miss Barry call students by the wrong name--and not just because of my "accent."

Two weeks ago at this same elementary, I had the pleasure of teaching little 3rd grade Cody's class. Cody didn't like it when I couldn't pronounce his name the way he liked (still a puzzle, not tryin' to solve it). Yesterday I was responsible for the other 3rd grade class. There's always at least one troublemaker, but this time the child who consistently gave me the most sass all day long looked oddly familiar, but it didn't hit me until the end of the day.

"Hey Calvin*...do you have a brother?"

Calvin informed me that yes, he did have a brother, and yes--he was just one door away.

"His name's Cody. He's my twin."

Your mother has to deal with TWO of you?

There are two of them.


At least I can pronounce Calvin's name to southern standards.

*Names are changed. I'm not try'na get sued here.