My Reading Collection: Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi

Totto-chan is an autobiographical memoir of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. The stories tell about school in Tokyo during World War II, Tomoe Gakuen. What so unique about Tomoe Gakuen is the school actually old rail road cars converted into classrooms. The founder and the educator, Sosaku Kobayashi as a firm believer of freedom in expressing oneself taught the students by combining freedom and love.

For me the book carries a lot of moral values, especially for students or for educational field or just for people in general. My favorite take from the book is the mutual respect with others without having the need to degrading one’s dignity and worth.

After reading the book I also wish school could be just as fun as Tomoe Gakuen. I wish during the educational journey, it would always feel like I have the freedom to express my natural abilities. Unconventional education should be just as important as the conventional one.

I would recommend the teachers and parents to read this book. There are so much to learn from it. Overall it’s a good book for everyone. Even though I got this book mainly because its pretty cover, turned out the inside is just as beautiful as the outside.