Toto Chan the Little Girl At the window

Toto Chan was written by a Japanese author name Tetsuko Koruyanagi and this is a semi autobiography of her self when she was just a little girl with the nick name of Toto-Chan. The book recalls her memory in her extraordinary school Tomoe Gakuen elementary school just before the pacific war begun (The Atomic Bomb that falls in Japan).

Tomoe Gakuen was an elementary school headed by Sosaku Kobayashi who uses the Eurythmics method of teaching. He had gone to Europe twice to study the Eurythmics method of teaching music of Jaques-Dalcroze. He loves children and he started his school in six abandoned railroad cars in 1937 with a philosophy that the basic of education have to make the children feel happy and free, which is why in Tamoe Gakuen the children have freedom to pick which lesson they want to study first. All of the activity at school was design specially for each of their student.

Toto-Chan was a student with amazing energy that made her get in trouble even in the first week at first grade of her school life. Toto-Chan was drop out from her ordinary school because the teacher can not handle her. Fortunately for Toto-Chan she has an amazing mother who very wisely keeps the drop out issue as a secret from Toto Chan until she grown up in order to keep Toto Chan dignity and high self esteem.

Toto-Chan’s mother then sends her to Tomoe Gakuen elementary school that was held by Mr. Kobayashi. And all the adventure and lesson for Toto Chan live has just begun in the Tomoe Gakun. Firstly Toto Chan fell in love with the train coach that was use as the classroom then when she met Mr. Kobayashi she felt very comfortable talking to him and immedietlly feel close and a bond was made between them. Tomoe Gakuen made a deep impression in Toto Chan live. Unfortunately in the World War II, Tomoe Gakuen School was destroyed in the American bombing of Tokyo in 1945.

This book brings awareness to us that sometimes letting children to do what they want is a good way to learn for them too. An education should not make the children feel in a prison of mind. So if you are a parent or a teacher or someone who wants to know about child education I really recommend you to read “Toto Chan the Little Girl At the window”.