“We are first graders, and back in the day, our teachers were first graders too!”
The exciting elementary school entrance story of Kim Ji-yoon in the 2000s and Dong-jun Gu in the 1960s, captured in a picture diary.

The school admission notice came out.
It starts now.

Every year in December, a school admission notice comes out.
Moms and dads with six-year-olds have mixed feelings about sending their children to school.
The excitement of seeing my child already starting school is fleeting, but soon I start to worry about whether my child will adapt well to school life, whether he or she will get along well with his or her friends, what kind of teacher he or she will be, and whether he or she will fall behind in his or her studies.
No matter how much children these days have tried daycare centers, kindergartens, and all sorts of academies, entering elementary school is still a major event that brings excitement and tension to both children and parents.
They say that beginning is half the battle, and isn't entering elementary school the beginning of a long school life that will unfold in earnest from now on?
The higher the expectations, the greater the stress.
With only a couple of months left until the entrance ceremony, prospective parents are busy wondering what to do and how to prepare during that time.

A must-read picture book for children about to enter elementary school and prospective parents has been published by Borim Publishing.

The Teacher's Childhood: Dongjun Koo's Entry into Elementary School in the 1960s
The bankbook owner hands Dongjun a note while he is busy playing tag in the vacant lot.
The identity of the note is a school admission notice.
In front of the dinner table with the family gathered around, Dongjun's older brother pats him on the shoulder, and Dongjun's shoulders lift up at the news that he will be going to school with his older brother.
But that was only for a moment. On the day of the preliminary assembly, Dongjun went to school with his mother and met his first teacher, and was so scared that he wet the bed in his sleep.
All Dongjun did to prepare for school was buy a school bag, go to the barbershop to get a haircut, and go to the bathhouse to shave his head.
On the day of the entrance ceremony, Dongjun stands on the playground with a name tag and handkerchief pinned to his chest. He is terrified of the teacher and the school is unfamiliar, so he is very scared.
However, Dongjun's heart slowly relaxes after eating a bowl of Jajangmyeon that his mother bought him, and he gradually gets used to the repetitive school life that repeats itself every day or two.
Come to think of it, teachers aren't scary either.
I was also praised for my good presentation.
Dongjun Gu, a student in class 2, grade 1 at Dongseong Elementary School, goes to school every day.
Thinking about becoming a teacher when I grow up.


Right now, in 2011, Kim Ji-yoon's elementary school entrance story
The mother, who received the school admission notice, is thrilled that Jiyoon will be going to school soon.
But since that day, Jiyoon has been incredibly busy.
I went to the hospital, got a measles shot, had my eyes checked, and even went to the scary dentist.
And that's not all.
Mom nags her every day, saying that she needs to know how to do everything on her own to go to school, and makes her practice putting on, taking off, and folding clothes, as well as writing, greeting, and all sorts of other exercises.
Even in kindergarten, it's always elementary school play.
Finally, on the day of the entrance ceremony, Jiyoon, all dolled up, walks to the auditorium holding the hand of her sixth-grade sister.
But what's going on? All the other classes have pretty female teachers, but Jiyoon's teacher is a grandfather! Jiyoon is upset, and even the congratulatory cake her dad bought her isn't tasty.
But after spending a few days with him, I realized that Mr. Grandpa, or rather Mr. Dongjun Gu, was pretty good.
I read a lot of fun picture books, and I praised Jiyoon and her partner for greeting me well today.
Now, Jiyoon Kim, class 2, grade 1 at Hansol Elementary School, goes to school every day excitedly.


The first step toward history education is intergenerational understanding and empathy.
This book is a picture book that compares the elementary school entrance years of Gu Dong-jun, a child in the 1960s, and Kim Ji-yoon, a child today in the 2000s.
I meticulously drew the daily lives, emotions, and surroundings of the two children as they received their school admission notices, faced the preliminary assembly date, had their entrance ceremony, and started school life, using the format of a picture diary.
The excitement and fear, anticipation and disappointment of children are palpable and real, contained in the simple writing and drawings that seem to have been written and drawn by children.
The setting that Gu Dong-jun, a child in the 1960s, is Kim Ji-yoon's teacher in the 2000s makes the story more interesting and fosters understanding and empathy between generations.
Children about to enter elementary school will experience the event of entering school indirectly by reading this book, preparing themselves mentally, and developing a more accepting attitude toward their teachers.

Additionally, by comparing the lives of two children over a period of forty years, we can see how much our lives surrounding family and school have changed.
Understanding other eras is the first step in teaching children history.
This book is also a good children's history education picture book that allows children to examine their daily lives, educational environment, and social changes.
Recommended for children from kindergarten to early elementary school.