Teacher "Appreciation" Day

Today was Teachers Day in Korea. It is a national holiday where students and parents do nice things to thank their teachers for all of their hard work. It is a known fact that a teacher is held in high esteem here in Korea, opposed to how some teachers are treated and viewed in the States, so I have been looking forward to this day to see the sweet ways in which my students would thank me for quite some time now.

A few weeks ago our boss told all the teachers that is is a Korean law that teachers are not supposed to get any presents worth more than the equivalent of about $30. It is believed that if a teacher does get a gift that is worth more than this value that he/she will favor the student who brought in the gift. I was shocked and somewhat appalled by this law as it is insulting to me as a teacher to think that it is believed that I am capable of being bought. My love towards a child has a dollar value on it and so their parents better pay up or I won't treat their kids nicely, apparently. I wondered, are there other occupations where there is a law based on favoritism towards the employee? A doctor could favor a patient more if they got an expensive gift and take more extreme measures to save their life. Right? Or is it just teachers who are falling into this favoritism epidemic?

We then were told 2 days ago that the rule within our school is going to be even more strict and not accept any presents if they are not flowers or food. If a parent sends anything else such as lotion, perfume, or clothing then we have to send it back with the child. Basically we are telling them, "Thanks for going to all the trouble of purchasing a gift for me, but I am going to favor your child if I accept this. Since I can't control myself, you must take it back." It's beyond rude in my eyes to return a gift and I can't imagine how the parent must feel.

I am not a materialistic person to say the least. I don't care about name brands, or where things are from, or how much they are worth. I shop at Goodwill for goodness sake, so clearly Prada or Gucci name brands are not deemed important to me. So please do not misunderstand what I am trying to say here. I am not saying that I want all of these rich Gangnam Korean parents presents because I want to wear Gucci perfume and Prada sunglasses. What I am frustrated by is the principle of the matter. I work so incredibly hard as a teacher to enable these kids to succeed because it is my job. I do it with all of my strength, through bronchitis or strep throat, because I love and care about their futures. I do not ask for thanks, but if a parent is going to offer it to me I think I should be able to receive it. After how much blood, sweat, and tears has gone into the past 8 months teaching in Korea I believe I deserve it if they choose to give it.

What the present actually is doesn't matter to me. I got a Spam gift set at school for Chuseok in September and I didn't exactly open a can up to start eating it, but I was so touched by the thought. I left work feeling loved and appreciated because someone took the time to go to the store and buy a Spam gift set for me. The parent found joy in giving it and I found joy in receiving it. That's how these things work.

So today, instead of getting sweet gifts from my kids and leaving work feeling appreciated and loved for all of my hard work, I had to give things back. I left feeling cheap and judged, like everyone was saying that I was the kind of teacher that would favor children based on the monetary value of their gifts. I was insulted by the whole returning gifts charade that went on all day long and hated working at a school that had no tact or class. These gifts were earned by the teachers in my school and yet we had to turn around and say 'no thanks,' insinuating that we don't deserve it.

For a country that loves their teachers so much, their laws are offensive, and my school in particular prohibited us from feeling the least bit cherished on this Teachers Days.

Although all of this went on, I did receive some beautiful flowers and cards from my Kinder class. I choose to dwell on the love that came from that gift and the smiles on my kids faces when they gave me their homemade cards that read "Thank you."

 

 Just for the record, I teach because I love children and I can make a difference doing it. 

I can't be bought.