Shining star
Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) was one of the favorite bands of my generation. They were an African-American funk band that gained worldwide popularity in the 1970s. EWF had an intensely rhythmic groove that blended rhythm & blues, jazz, and soul into a new form of danceable music. But theirs was a “sophisticated” funk and they also used softer sounds and filled their albums with soulful ballads. Among their notable hits were Shining Star, Let us Groove, September, Reasons, and After the Love Is Gone.
Aside from this giving you an indication that the Kindergarten Dad is no preschooler anymore but is fast approaching the age of annual prostate tests, one interesting trivia is how the group’s name came about. I always found it pretty cool how the band’s name accurately reflected its sound. Apparently, it was based on the astrological sign of bandleader Maurice White — Sagittarius. It has a primary elemental quality of fire but also has seasonal qualities which are earth and air.
Earth, wind, fire, and water are, of course, the four basic elements of nature. In ancient Greek philosophy, these elements correspond to the four bodily humors (or body fluids). Hippocrates, the father of medicine, believed that disease resulted from an imbalance of the four bodily humors and the influence of outside forces. The four humors in turn correspond to the four basic temperaments of human personality. Their relationships can be represented as (element/humor/temperament): earth-(black) bile-melancholic; wind-blood-sanguine; fire-(yellow) bile-choleric; water-phlegm-phlegmatic.
At the risk of my son’s beloved grade 2 teacher banishing me to the Kweba ng Katahimikan (Cave of Silence — a time-out area inside the classroom) for the mischief of trying to make an analogy between a major insight in Waldorf education and funk music, I suppose that EWF’s style could also be described as primarily choleric (flaming horns) but with melancholic (earthy soul) and sanguine (ethereal wind arrangements) touches as well! And just as EWF beautifully harmonized different forms of music, so, too, is one of education’s tasks to help the child direct the four basic temperaments and become a well-balanced person.
In explaining this to parents once, my son’s teacher noted how different children might react if a tree fell in the middle of the road and blocked their school bus.
Some children would rush to the front and urge the driver to floor the gas pedal and ram through the barricade. These are the fiery cholerics. According to Roy Wilkinson, author of The Temperaments in Education and whom I liberally paraphrase in this article, they are ambitious and born leaders though they can be domineering and bad-tempered as well. In relating with cholerics, teachers need to be firm, strong, and to the point. They must always try to keep them challenged and busy. Teachers must be able to quickly see restlessness developing and find a way of releasing the tension (such as in asking the child to erase the blackboard or open a window) before the breaking point comes. If there is an outburst, the teacher remains calm and revisits it with the child the following day. Discipline is often better achieved through humor rather than admonition.
Upon seeing the fallen tree, phlegmatics, on the other hand, would likely stay in the bus, take out a sandwich and snack until the debris is cleared. Slow but methodical, they like order, routine, and are creatures of habit. They are relaxed and unhurried though not lazy. Just like its elemental counterpart — water — they could be placid all right, but when roused could whip up a storm. Teachers need to push these children — to “light a fire under their seats.” To get them moving, they must be made conscious of the immediate present. If discipline is necessary, immediate action must be taken.
Immediately after the bus stops, other children would be immediately out the door and excitedly inspecting the tree. These sanguines are cheerful, optimistic, and fun-loving. If they fall in the playground, they would cry for a moment and then get up and continue playing as if nothing happened. If phlegmatics are creatures of habit, sanguines have no habits. They are impulsive, acting on whims in an unpredictable fashion. Their minds endlessly wander. Like butterflies, they “flit from impression to impression” to the point that they often leave things half-done. Though full of life, teachers need to help them direct their energies through repetition and by giving strong and clear pictures. But the real key is for the teacher to develop a personal connection with them. “Do it for me” is the magic phrase. Should admonishment be necessary, a friendly word would probably be sufficient.
After briefly checking out the commotion, the melancholic child will look at his watch and worry that he will be late. He would likely also exclaim, “Why do these things always happen to me?” Egotistical and self-absorbed, melancholics believe that such things happen only to them. Teachers need to deal with them with a mixture of sympathy and firmness (instead of trying to “console” them). They are quiet and withdrawn individuals with introspective and intellectual minds. They must be drawn to the “outer world” and their interest in it awakened. It is good for the teacher to share stories, such as those of great personalities that show that their experiences are by no means exceptional. In terms of discipline, the consequences of his actions must be clearly shown to him, particularly as they affect other people and cause them suffering. As self-centered as they can be at times, they can also be most helpful and self-sacrificing when they can identify themselves with the sufferings of other people.
Recognizing the personality types and helping the child harmonize them is not an easy task. It can only be done over time and will require the close partnership of teachers and parents.
While children may all have their primary traits, we must, however, avoid the trap of stereotyping. It may perhaps be more helpful to look at temperaments as degrees in a four- dimensional continuum rather than as rigid boxes that need to be filled up one by one. Regardless of their basic temperaments, we must nurture each of them as unique individuals so that they can blossom into their full potential. There is no “best” or “better” child. In the constellation of life, each child is a “shining star” in his/her own right waiting to be discovered.
As parents, we need to put on our dancing shoes, so to speak, and join the teachers on the dance floor. Together, and for all the children to see and hear, let us move to the groove and belt out that refrain from one of Earth, Wind, and Fire’s greatest hits in the funkiest falsetto voice we can muster:
You’re a shining star, no matter who you are
Shining bright to see what you can truly be
Shining star for you to see, what your life can truly be
Shining star for you to see, what your life can truly be
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