From Tigger to Eyeore, from Pooh Bear to Owl, the exploration of personality types is part of understanding ourselves and others. People may have heard of DiSC profiles, or Myers Briggs. In a Steiner Waldorf school, teachers explore Rudolph Steiner's 'Four Temperaments', first conceptualised in Ancient Greece, to help understand the children they teach, and their own teaching and communications styles.
The four temperaments are:
- Sanguine - these are our airy butterflies, the dreamers, the sunshine people
- Choleric - our fiery napoleons, leading the charge
- Melancholic - those who feel the weight of the world most deeply
- Phlegmatic - are adaptable, easy going, take the line of least resistance
On our most recent teacher training day, our teachers talked through the temperaments, led by Sue Morvan, our current class 8 teacher, with many years of Steiner Waldorf teacher training experience. Having decided which of the four types they felt most reflected their personality, the teachers gathered around four great lumps of clay, and were challenged to build an island. What followed was quite revealing!Whilst the Cholerics developed an island of industry, with fishing ports, a school, agriculture and settlements, the Phlegmatics created a perfect solitary oasis, with a hammock, shade and a palm tree. The Melancholics molded their island from the clay base, including tunnels and bridges, whilst the Sanguines made beautiful flowers, butterflies, trees, umbrellas and ice-creams and popped them here and there on top of the island. The exercise was a huge amount of fun, and also gave the opportunity to reflect on the four temperaments through a tangible experience.
Visiting each other's islands, it was clear to see the markedly different perspectives on the task, and how the resulting creations reflected the core observations of the different 'personality types'. Understanding more about these temperaments, helps the teacher to meet the children they teach with empathy and understanding, and also offer opportunities for finding balance. This is achieved in how a teacher supports a child in their learning and in their social relationships. Steiner's work even went so far as to offer advice on nutrition and exercise based on the temperaments. As children often stay with one teacher over a number of years in a Steiner Waldorf school, it is a teacher's endeavour to learn how to best connect, and support every individual child to shine.