Totto Chan – The Little Girl at the Window, Book extract

Recently i have finished reading Totto Chan a master piece book in the domain of education. The book is written by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, a famous television start from Japan. Just in a year of launch more than 5 millions copies got sold in Japan and millions of copies are sold till date in more than 50 languages around the world. The book is about her experiences learning at an unconventional school named Tomoe Gakuen. After reading the book the only feeling I had was a wish to have hundreds and thousands of Tomoe and Mr Kobayashi – the founder and principal of the school. This wonderful gem got distroyed during second world war.
Here are the excerpts from the book.

• A child if does any mischief would be because of her curiosity and excitement about the new stuff. It would be of temporary nature and would be corrected automatically. Our job is not to control that behaviour but to observe and find ways to satisfy the curiosity.
• A child wants to talk with you. Motivate them and give enough time to talk and ask questions. Complete growth of a child depends on how many questions they ask and how many you can answer well.
• Teacher in morning can provide a list of things tobe done and and let students choose whatever they want to start with. Teacher observes the activities and finds further interest of child and helps them grow that while cultivating other interests too.  All Tasks tobe finished on that day but students can decide the order without a daily time table.
• Songs and stories are very important for children. Anything you want to teach them and instruct them should be conveyed in form a sweet song or a story.
• Let child work amongst them selves and let them be in nature. It will help them learn better and faster.
• Let child do whatever they do. Teacher and parents are to observe only.
• Let child experience everything they can. Construction, Chemicals, Travel, Industries, illness and etc.
• To remove the fear let them be amongst the fear
• Provide a platform so thy can be in communication and work relation with people of different kind and different nature.
• Music is very important to learn for children and eurythmics and Lazim, can be a great tool for overall growth of children.
• A Child should understand life death and care. Let them be amongst live of plants, pets and humans. This builds emotional intelligence.
• Children will make cloths dirty and will torn them as well. Don’t make this an issue and let them enjoy that.
• Motivate child for public communication.
• Child should have a sense of earning. They may win a vegitable as gift for great performance and when all at home eat that, it would be a different feeling.
• Train child to become global citizen, to accept all nationality and religion.
• Have plenty of tours and picnics so child can have many interactions.
• Books are very important for everyone. Cultivate habit of reading.
• Train for agriculture, farming and gardening. Show them how food grows and how new lives takes place.
• Teach to cook food occasionally, specially in group.
• Teach them to cleaning their rooms, toilets, class rooms etc.