The book was published originally as 窓ぎわのトットちゃん (Madogiwa no Totto-chan) in 1981, and became an instant bestseller in Japan.[1] The book is about the values of the unconventional education that Kuroyanagi received at Tomoe Gakuen, a Tokyo elementary school founded by educator Sosaku Kobayashi during World War II, and it is considered her childhood memoir.
As for me, I grew up in the olden days of kampong, with my early childhood days spent running wild catching tadpoles, locusts and anything I can lay my hands on (with approval from my parents of course). My childhood is filled with memories of fun exploring everything and anything in the nature.
I developed no fear towards animals and grow to love them as my companions. There were chickens running everywhere in the kampong which was good for practising running & catching skills if you like. Just kidding... :P
However, it saddens me to see that this new generation of children do not know how to co-exist with animals. Either they are fearful of the animals or some turn nasty torturing the animals because no one taught them the proper way to handle and how to love the animals.
So whenever there's opportunity, I will volunteer to bring in live animals/pets for children to observe and learn to like animals. Good moral values are important and need to be taught to young children when they are still teachable.
The children get to observe a hamster for documentation during science lesson. Students are taught empathy for a baby kitten we found during nature walk, which was adopted by one of the parents eventually.
Bringing students to Jurong Birds Park enhanced their knowledge about life cycles & habits of birds.
Bringing students to Jurong Birds Park enhanced their knowledge about life cycles & habits of birds.
Referencing from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totto-Chan:_The_Little_Girl_at_the_Window
