Education

Totto-chan: 8 key ideas

by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi

The core ideas of Totto-chan, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.

1. IDEA 1 OF 8

   A special school changed a girl

   Kuroyanagi, a famous Japanese television host, recalls her childhood at Tomoe Gakuen, an unusual school in Tokyo during the Second World War.

   She describes how its kind headmaster helped her flourish.

2. IDEA 2 OF 8

   She was expelled early

   Kuroyanagi describes being expelled from her first school because her curiosity and restlessness disrupted lessons.

   In her account, a teacher found her a nuisance, and the school asked her mother to take her elsewhere.

3. IDEA 3 OF 8

   The headmaster listened

   Kuroyanagi describes how the headmaster, Sosaku Kobayashi, listened to her talk for hours at their first meeting.

   She felt understood. In her account, being heard so patiently gave her a sense of safety and trust in this new school.

4. IDEA 4 OF 8

   Classrooms were train carriages

   Kuroyanagi describes how Tomoe Gakuen used old railway carriages as classrooms.

   Children loved them. In her account, the carriages gave the school a playful and unusual look, and children were excited to arrive each morning.

5. IDEA 5 OF 8

   Children chose their lessons

   Kuroyanagi describes how students could choose which subject to start each day.

   In her account, this gave children a sense of ownership over their learning, and they were trusted to organise their own day.

6. IDEA 6 OF 8

   Every child was respected

   Kuroyanagi describes how the headmaster treated all children, including those with disabilities, with respect.

   In her account, the school made sure no one felt less than the others, and children learned to help one another naturally.

7. IDEA 7 OF 8

   War ended the school

   Kuroyanagi describes how the school was destroyed in bombing during the war.

   In her account, the loss was deeply felt by the children and teachers, who had found much joy there. It ended a happy chapter.

8. IDEA 8 OF 8

   Kindness shapes lives

   Kuroyanagi suggests that the headmaster's belief in her shaped her whole life.

   In her account, being told that she was a good child, again and again, helped her trust herself. She credits his kindness for her lasting confidence.