This is an educational essay written by Professor Lee Hae-myeong, who has worked as an educator all his life until he was 80, and has summarized his life and research into advice for the younger generation of parents.
This book contains the timeless values ​​and methods of education, including how he raised his children, how to develop life skills beyond test scores, and what the younger generation of parents are missing.
The author, who learned effective teaching methods and educational philosophies in the US and UK and applied them to his children, was able to get his son into Yale University as a result of consistent discipline, reading education, discussion, and writing classes tailored to his growth process.
This book, which meticulously explains the educational policies that should be focused on at each stage of life, from infancy to elementary school and high school, will be the 'first book' for new mothers and fathers to lay the foundation for their children's education.

Entering
Recently, I've been taking care of my grandchildren a lot.
As I watched my infinitely lovely grandchild grow up, I thought back to the time I raised my own children.
There were some good things I did, but there were also many mistakes, so I wrote down my thoughts in the hope that they would be of some help to the younger generation of parents, and as a result, this book was published.
As a grandfather and educator, I would like to leave a legacy of education for the next generation.
--- p.4

Chapter 1: How Education Becomes a Legacy
The purpose of education is to create human beings with character and integrity.
However, many parents still believe that grades are everything in education.
I think that if I have good grades, I can get into a good university, and if I graduate from a good university, I can get a good job.
But this is short-sighted thinking.
Success at work isn't determined by grades alone.
Beyond solving multiple-choice test questions, you must have comprehensive 'competence' that includes passion for the job and adaptability.
People who love their work, work hard, and cooperate well with their team members are successful.
Therefore, investment in education must be made with a long-term perspective.
You shouldn't be obsessed with school grades.
--- p.29~30

Chapter 2: How Children Grow
Parents model and emphasize moral, religious, and political interests and values ​​for their children.
The influence of the environment called ‘parent-child relationship’ is extremely great.
In particular, the experiences of siblings through parents have the greatest influence on personality formation.
Education is not achieved by simply providing a child with nice clothes and a nice home.
You need to talk to your child.
You need to know what they want and what they find difficult.
The most important thing is the parents' behavior.
“Children resemble their parents.” This is a common saying that we often overlook, but it carries a weight close to scientific truth.
--- p.61

Chapter 3: Infants and Toddlers: The Beginning of Language Development
According to a study from Harvard University, parents reading to their children is the best way to develop their language skills.
If possible, it is a good idea for parents to develop the habit of reading books to their children before they go to bed.
Spoken language and written language are interconnected and not independent.
If you are good at listening, you will be good at speaking, and if you become accustomed to listening and speaking, you will be good at reading and writing.
If you are good at reading and writing, your academic performance will also improve.
Remember that your school grades depend on your language skills.
--- p.93

Chapter 4: Elementary School: A Time to Develop Thinking Power
Since my job is a professor, I read a lot of books when I got home.
Especially when my child entered elementary school, I spent a lot of time working from home.
While I was reading a book, before I knew it, my child was sitting next to me and reading a book too.
My wife also read various magazines along with us.
The child practically lived in the neighborhood bookstore.
I mostly read science books for fun.
I had science professors introduce books to me and read them to my children.
After selecting a book and reading it, I had them present its contents in front of their family.
When the child presented the contents of the book he or she read, the whole family discussed the contents and wrote down the results.
When writing about the discussion, I also asked them to write their own opinions at the end.
In this way, reading, discussion, and writing must be connected as one to be effective.
This is a method of reading centered on a single topic, discussing whether the theory is realistic, and reaching your own conclusions.
If you read, discuss, and write separately, the effect will be halved.
--- p.119

Chapter 5 Middle School: At the Crossroads of Self-Identity and Sociality
As parents watch their children form new relationships with diverse peers in the new environment of middle school, they may worry that their children may engage in bad behavior when interacting with peers.
Conformity regarding peer pressure to encourage prosocial behavior does not vary with age.
However, conformity to peer pressure that encourages antisocial behavior increases dramatically during middle school.
Even though they know it is bad behavior, they follow it when their peers recommend it.
It is a very dangerous peer phenomenon.
This is most severe during middle school and then decreases.
Parents' concern is that their children will be swept up in this peer atmosphere.
(…) Children who are positively influenced by their parents are not swayed by peer pressure.
Children who live with parents who are warm, yet not too lax, and who have consistent rules will trust and follow their parents' wishes.
Rather than being influenced by unhealthy peers, they associate with peers who share their values.
Conversely, children who experience severe conflict with their parents tend to only socialize with peers and may make wrong decisions.
--- p.158~159

Chapter 6 High School: Choosing Your Life Direction
When the little boy became a high school student, he became interested in social issues.
He showed a particularly strong curiosity about politics.
Because our politics were in chaos at the time.
My child's school was in an awkward location that was difficult to get to by bus or subway.
I was responsible for taking my child to and from school for three years.
After dropping my child off at school at 8 a.m., I went to work.
And if there was nothing special, I would pick up my child from school on my way home from work.
Usually, my child goes to school early in the morning and comes home late at night, so I don't have time to see his face.
Although it was difficult, I used that time to talk to my little one.
The child, who usually doesn't say what's on his mind, talked about things that happened at school and his thoughts about society during this time.

The child asked me for alternatives to solve our country's political, economic, and social problems.
I excerpted materials such as newspaper editorials and had them read them.
As this happened repeatedly, our conversation devolved into a discussion.
First, we decided to discuss political issues among the problems our society faces.
Then, I looked for materials related to the issue, had my child read them, and presented them to a family discussion over the weekend.
At the time, Henry Kissinger's writings were widely quoted in newspapers.
I asked my child to read the English version of Kissinger's famous book, A World Restored: Europe After Napoleon.
The child said that after reading "A World Restored," the political situation in Europe at the time seemed as clear as looking at a map.
I felt a sense of accomplishment in teaching the child.
The time invested in my child was well worth it.
--- p.189~190

Chapter 7: The Educational Legacy I Inherited
I think that this is what people in the past meant by 'ancestral virtue'.
The virtue of ancestors is not to leave behind wealth, but to pass on to their descendants the honor of being “a descendant of such-and-such house.”
It lasts longer than wealth.
Inheriting wealth can ruin children if done wrong, but ancestors' good deeds can cultivate children's character and lead to a better life.
‘The virtue of our ancestors’ is a precious cultural heritage of education that reminds us that our growth is not our own.

--- p.226~227