Roy Wilkinson lays out an approach to the four essential personality tendencies of children during the early elementary grades. What we call "temperaments" today were known in Greek times as the "four humors," which medical science at the time considered very important. Knowledge of the temperaments has fallen into the background, but Rudolf Steiner pointed to their importance for educators. Temperament has nothing to do with character or morality, but is in itself a basic quality--a "substance" though not material. People act or react in a certain ways according to their temperaments, irrespective of her upbringing, education, social standing, moral standards, or knowledge. The four temperaments--melancholic, phlegmatic, sanguine, and choleric--are related to the four elements--earth, water, air, and fire. In this book, Roy Wilkinson offers practical applications of such insights for teachers, parents, caretakers, and classroom situations.
