Our Waldorf Homeschool Journey

Hi Everyone,

We’ve been homeschooling now for nearly 3 years, yet started our Waldorf journey 6 years ago when we decided to enroll our daughter in a Waldorf School. During this time we’ve learnt much, moved away from Waldorf for a good few months, and then back again, with a huge sigh of relief to be back on our original journey. Rudolf Steiner’s writing has been a huge inspiration to me, and an invaluable tool when it comes to being a parent. I understand my children now, in a much deeper way, I view them as a miraculous gift (okay, most days, there are days I’m convinced my daughter is Lizzie Borden reincarnated!LOL!) . I love them for who they are.

A big part of getting to know them was understanding what Rudolf Steiner calls the Four Temperaments. I’d like to share this with you, briefly and encourage all of you to explore this idea further. Steiner wasn’t the first dude to mention this though! I’ve researched a bit and it appears that, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was credited with the basic theory of temperament styles. This was 2400 years ago!. His theory was that our behavior style was determined genetically at birth, not from what we are taught. Hippocrates theory was that we are born with a combination  of four genetic influences he called humors. In other words the Temperaments.

My understanding is that every human has all 4 Temperaments within them, but 1 is dominant.  So getting back to our kids. They generally fall into one of the 4 temperaments, though we have a part of each in all of us, and research has found that children of the same temperament not only react to situations in similar ways but also have a similar choice in things as simple as a favourite colour. They also have a similar physical build, believe it or not.

The 4 temperaments are:

Melancholic (earth)

Sanguine (air)

Phlegmatic (water)

Choleric (fire).

I’d like to touch on them briefly over the next few days, but please bear in mind there are entire books written on the subject, one of them by Rudolf Steiner, and this is just the very tip of the temperament iceberg. Please explore it further, there is a recommended book at the bottom of the page which is easy reading and inspiring.

Once you understand your child’s temperament, most of the fights and struggles simply are no longer necessary! Not because your child has changed, but purely because you now have a deeper understanding of how he or she works. You’re able to now meet them in a place they understand and maybe most important, you pick your battles.

For me it’s been like learning a new language. Always bear in mind that every temperament has both positive and negative aspects. Below is a book written about the 4 temperaments, which I’m reading at the moment as well, and I’ve found it most enlightening.

I’d like to leave you with a verse written by Rudolf Steiner. It sums up the essence of the temperaments perfectly, for me.

Lightly the sanguine one jumps over the stone

Quick and with grace

If he trips he cares not

With a laugh he is on his way

 

Grimly the choleric kicks at the stone

Hurling it out of his way.

As he exalts in his strength

See how his eye flashes fire.

 

Now the phlegmatic appears

And pensively slows down his step

“If this stone will not move from my path

Then I must go around it, that’s all.”

 

Silently stands by the stone

Brooding, the melancholy one,

Grumbling and plunged in despair

At his eternal bad luck.

Join us soon as we explore each temperament a little bit. Rembering all along that this is the dominant temperament in each person. I have a melancholic daughter and a sanguine son. My husband is melancholic and I am sanguine. We somehow make it work, the four of us help each other immensely as we are aware of our reactions to each other. We also irritate each other immensely on occasion! An example would be the neighbours dogs barking. John and Jules will take it seriously and complain about it daily! Sin and I are kind of, “don’t stress every things fine!It’s not like you can do something about it!” or it would appear even more irritating, “What dogs?”

Thanks for always visiting!

Many blessings,

Sue

Filed under: Verses, Waldorf Homeschooling, Homeschool on September 22nd, 2008