A Child at a Time: Understanding Temperament

This book provides an
introduction to the role of children's temperament (i.e. the individual's
characteristics), parents, teachers, and peers in influencing the behaviour or
action of children in particular in the classroom. The author hopes that this
research will help adults, specifically classroom teachers, responsible for the
development of children between the ages of 3 and 8 years, to make sense of
children's disruptive behaviours, otherwise referred to as problem behaviours.
Sometimes, students' sense of indignation and outrage may be a reaction to
their environment; most times, they react to the negative environment they are
situated in at home, on the playfield, or in the classroom. For some students,
it is the lack of understanding of how to control the negative reactions of
their temperament that causes a consistent display of disruptive behaviours.
Many of these children with problem behaviours have few friends or are from
homes pierced with the knife of poverty. Students' behaviour at school may
mirror their relationship with parents and other family members at home; it may
be a cry for help. I hope that the information in this publication will bring
understanding and care for children by adults. Our role as adults is to help
children manage the negative reaction of their temperament, not to treat them
with disdain nor as evildoers; they are our adults for tomorrow.

A Child at a Time is
a call to educators, parents, and possible policymakers to recognize that
children's differences should not be taken for granted, especially in the early
stages of their development. The book emphasizes differences in children's
characters and socio-emotional needs and how these differences influence how
children respond to teachers' and parents' behavioural management
strategies.