‘Over-curiosity is a blessing in disguise.’ This book proves this
point. Young Tetsuko, called Totto Chan (Chan being a common prefix in those days),
is expelled due to her habit of over-curiosity. She had to be taken to a new school.
Nothing weird in that, right? Except for the fact that her new school used old
train carriages as classrooms and libraries to enhance learning. Totto always felt
that the carriage was going to zoom off on a whole new quest of learning.
This was not the only strange thing about the school. There was no
timetable, and you could start with any subject you wish. The teachers could
then understand where the child’s interests lay. This was not the strange thing
about Tomoe Gakuen. Everything from the lunches to the headmaster to the
swimming pool to the exciting activities was a different and new experience for
Totto. Her curiosity was encouraged, not discouraged in her new school.
This story made me feel the importance of education. The headmaster,
Mr. Kobayashi, answered each question targeted towards him. Nothing should be
kept a secret. A principal like him is hard to find in today’s schools, where
children are encouraged only to be seen and not heard. He did not deny the
children a chance to learn something new.
This book opened my eyes to the wonders of education and I strongly recommend children and adults to read it and embrace the wonder of the Japanese School, Tomoe Gakuen. I hope you enjoy and cherish this book as much as I did.
THE HOWLER RATING : ★★★★★
By Arhant
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