:: Book Review : Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window ::
Assalamualaikum w.b.t. and good day peeps!
Hope you guys have a productive time during RMO period, because apparently, I have been as unproductive as a sloth LOL. Still getting prep with school-related matters. Hehe. Anyway, last year, during school holidays, I decided to read a book that I bought and was able to finish it before Sunday. So, I thought I should give a book review for it. That's why I'm writing today. YAY for Productivity!
The book I'm introducing tonight is entitled Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window written by Kuroyanagi Tetsuko, a well-known actress in Japan. The book is an anthology of autobiographical memoirs of the author herself, Kuroyanagi Tetsuko that tells about her childhood mainly stories during her times in elementary school.
Impression?
To be truthful, I bought the book for it was written by a Japanese author. Yeah, my love for Japan is prior to this book purchase. Also, I got intrigued by the complimenting reviews by many who had read the book before.The book begins when she tells the moment she moved into Tomoe Gakuen for a reason only her mother knew and how studying there made her as she is nowadays. As I spent time to read it, I began to have a greater impression of the book for its well-written childhood stories.
My thoughts on Totto-chan?
As I mentioned before, the book was based on the author's actual memoirs towards her school, Tomoe Gakuen and her utmost appreciation towards the headmaster, Kobayashi Sousaku. Tomoe Gakuen was built on abandoned railway and thus, the classrooms were made of "six abandoned railroad cars". The library was made in a well-decorated car. The school itself was surrounded in nature. By these descriptions, simply emphasized on its fun and conducive environment that can engage students in a conducive learning.
In addition, Kobayashi Sousaku, the headmaster, is also the founder of Tomoe Gakuen. His ultimate goal was to make sure each and every children to have an equal opportunity in education. In other words, there was no division among the children in that school. The school had no inclusive education and thus, they learned the same subjects, and they played together regardless of their disabilities. The children - especially Totto-chan - had respect and thankfulness to Mr. Kobayashi for he had given all children the chance to gain knowledge and to explore by themselves.
The timeline of this book has also given a great impact. Why is that so? The author, Kuroyanagi Tetsuko, was born in 1933 in Japan. When she was in elementary school, she and her schoolmates knew that there was a war (World War II) going on between Japan and America at that time. Despite that, every children went to the school as usual and even had experienced their childhood as much as possible.
Conclusion
It had opened my eyes on the concept of an ideal education in a child's point of view. The book has grasped upon the importance of education and significance of self-discovery. Thus, this book is recommended to read, especially for teachers who seek the purpose of education.
That's all for today. As always, thank you for reading. Hope you enjoy this review (although I'm not good in expressing thoughts). Do stay at home, peeps! See you in the next entry.
References
Tomoe Gakuen | Life Stories. (February 2, 2015).
https://biobookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/tomoe-gakuen/
Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. (n.d).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetsuko_Kuroyanagi
Hope you guys have a productive time during RMO period, because apparently, I have been as unproductive as a sloth LOL. Still getting prep with school-related matters. Hehe. Anyway, last year, during school holidays, I decided to read a book that I bought and was able to finish it before Sunday. So, I thought I should give a book review for it. That's why I'm writing today. YAY for Productivity!
Impression?
To be truthful, I bought the book for it was written by a Japanese author. Yeah, my love for Japan is prior to this book purchase. Also, I got intrigued by the complimenting reviews by many who had read the book before.The book begins when she tells the moment she moved into Tomoe Gakuen for a reason only her mother knew and how studying there made her as she is nowadays. As I spent time to read it, I began to have a greater impression of the book for its well-written childhood stories.
My thoughts on Totto-chan?
As I mentioned before, the book was based on the author's actual memoirs towards her school, Tomoe Gakuen and her utmost appreciation towards the headmaster, Kobayashi Sousaku. Tomoe Gakuen was built on abandoned railway and thus, the classrooms were made of "six abandoned railroad cars". The library was made in a well-decorated car. The school itself was surrounded in nature. By these descriptions, simply emphasized on its fun and conducive environment that can engage students in a conducive learning.
In addition, Kobayashi Sousaku, the headmaster, is also the founder of Tomoe Gakuen. His ultimate goal was to make sure each and every children to have an equal opportunity in education. In other words, there was no division among the children in that school. The school had no inclusive education and thus, they learned the same subjects, and they played together regardless of their disabilities. The children - especially Totto-chan - had respect and thankfulness to Mr. Kobayashi for he had given all children the chance to gain knowledge and to explore by themselves.
The timeline of this book has also given a great impact. Why is that so? The author, Kuroyanagi Tetsuko, was born in 1933 in Japan. When she was in elementary school, she and her schoolmates knew that there was a war (World War II) going on between Japan and America at that time. Despite that, every children went to the school as usual and even had experienced their childhood as much as possible.
Conclusion
It had opened my eyes on the concept of an ideal education in a child's point of view. The book has grasped upon the importance of education and significance of self-discovery. Thus, this book is recommended to read, especially for teachers who seek the purpose of education.
That's all for today. As always, thank you for reading. Hope you enjoy this review (although I'm not good in expressing thoughts). Do stay at home, peeps! See you in the next entry.
References
Tomoe Gakuen | Life Stories. (February 2, 2015).
https://biobookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/tomoe-gakuen/
Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. (n.d).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetsuko_Kuroyanagi
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