Last week, my child brought home a note from school. It was a notice about collecting a class gift for the homeroom teacher, specifying how much each family should contribute.

In Korea, since the introduction of the Kim Young-ran Law a few years ago, it has become a sensitive issue for parents to give gifts to teachers. However, here, it is common for gift lists to circulate every semester.

At the end of the year, parents send Christmas cards with gift cards inside, and in June, as the school year ends, the whole class prepares thank-you notes again.

I still vividly remember my child excitedly pulling out colored pencils to draw a picture for the card.

Out of curiosity, I found out that there is actually a Teacher Appreciation Week in the U.S.

The first week of May has long been established as National Teacher Appreciation Week, during which parent associations at schools coordinate gifts.

Individual gifts average around $25 per family, while when the whole class pools money for a gift card, it averages about $50 to $100 per parent.

Interestingly, surveys show that when asked, most teachers feel that a gift in the range of $10 to $20 is just right.

What's amusing is that the gifts teachers appreciate the most are not expensive items but handwritten letters.

More than half of the responses indicated that handwritten cards or letters were preferred, followed by cash or gift cards. Ultimately, it's the thought that counts, and that's the key.

However, there's an interesting point in the regulations of the Fairfax County Public Schools.

They explicitly state that students and parents should refrain from habitually giving gifts on holidays or special occasions. There are clauses that prohibit staff from accepting expensive or excessive gifts, and employees with financial interests are limited to a total gift amount of no more than $100 per year.

The neighboring Arlington Public Schools also set a $100 limit per family. This indicates that the U.S. is cautious about this culture turning into bribery. The fact that school districts have established such regulations shows that there is already a consensus in this area that even well-intentioned gifts can cross a line.

Reflecting on this, I realized that the underlying meaning of this gift culture overlaps in two ways. One is a pure expression of gratitude. Everyone knows that public school teachers in the U.S. do not earn a lot, and it's not uncommon for teachers to buy classroom supplies out of their own pockets. Therefore, it's natural for parents to want to express their appreciation to the person who has taken care of their child for a year.

The other is the sense of community participation. The process of pooling money from the whole class serves as a way for the parents to connect with each other.

However, personally, I don't view this culture as entirely positive. Families that are not financially well-off may feel pressured to participate, and it's disappointing that the hard work of teachers is compensated with gifts while discussions about improving their treatment are sidelined.

Gifts should be given and received warmly, but fundamental issues like teacher treatment and classroom budgets should be addressed through taxes and policies. I believe that while we should respect the ways of expressing gratitude, that sentiment must lead to institutional improvements for it to be genuine appreciation.

Still, within this small gift lies a sense of community in raising children together.

Accepting it as a way to feel the warmth rather than focusing on the price, this note that comes around every year isn't so bad after all.