Temperament and Homeschooling Style

Trinity Prep School has a link to an interesting quiz on Mothering Styles which gives a brief quiz on temperament and describes how it affects your mothering style. Maureen's question is interesting: does our temperament play a part in how we do homeschooling -- more specifically, how does temperament play into success in unschooling? And how about birth order? If you have an opinion on this or would like to be part of her unofficial research, go for it!

I am somewhere between an INTP and INFP, but the INTP seems to fit a bit better since I think I consciously work on the "feeling" part for "rational" reasons. Or is it vice versa?? Anyway......

Your type is: intp —The “Love of Learning” Mother

“I keep the encyclopedia in the kitchen so we can look up things together while we eat.”

• Intellectually curious and patient, the INTP mother relishes those times with a child when they are learning something interesting together. Whether they’re at the zoo or computer terminal, she sparks to answering his or her “whys” with in-depth responses or new knowledge.
• The INTP mother is also objective and introspective. She listens to and discusses children’s ideas and questions as she would those of a peer, fostering self-esteem and confidence. Open and non-directive, she allows children the freedom to do for themselves and quietly encourages them to believe they can do it.
• Independence, autonomy, intellectual development, and self-reliance are probably the INTP’s highest priorities for her children. An avid reader, she naturally imparts an appreciation and love of reading as well.
• Drawn to all types of learning, the INTP may also value her mothering experience for all the new insights about life it provides her.

Further Reading: Temperament and Personality Typing -- I have only glanced at this site but it looks extensive and interesting so I'm linking to read later!

Oh, and I'm a firstborn! Does this together with my temperament type explain why I'm drawn to unschooling but struggle with the logistics of it and feel ambivalent about whether it is too good to be true??? I love the ideals of classical education but not the way it tends to go hand in hand with a concrete structure in most of the class-ed books. I much prefer the dialectic, close-focus approach.