American teacher reveals her 'gift' for completing 10 years — and it shows how little teachers are valued

A decade of service in education is no small achievement. Teachers spend years shaping young minds, adapting to changing curriculums and often working well beyond their contracted hours. So, when the time comes for a school district to honor that dedication, one might expect a meaningful token of appreciation. But as one teacher discovered, that’s not always the case. Melanie Wood, who goes by @melanie_in_the_library on TikTok, recently went viral after sharing the bizarre list of items she was offered as a gift for reaching 10 years of service in her Missouri school district. She captioned the video, "10 years down! Can't wait to see the options at 20!"

"In the school district where I work, once you hit a certain number of years of service, you get to choose a gift," Wood explained in her video. "And last spring, I hit 10 years in this district, so I got to choose a gift. Today, I went shopping for that gift...and I’ve never seen anything like this in my life," she elaborated. Wood then showcased a bunch of puzzling options. The first item she showed was a Wilson volleyball. "Not the weirdest thing, I promise," she said before moving on to the next option, which was a single Yeti lid. "Just one lid," she pointed out. She then highlighted rustic curtains and a disposable camera, sarcastically adding, "Thanks for 10 years."

Wood then showed a pack of fishing lures, jokingly adding that you could "go fishing. Here are 12 fishing lures." The list continued with marine engine oil and carpeting. She said, "With that, you could gas up or motor up or whatever for your boat, and then you could re-carpet your boat with some marine carpeting." She wrapped up the selection by pointing to a state-specific "Bass Pro Shops" T-shirt, adding, "If that’s your style." After showing the gift items, she said, "I know what you're thinking. You must be right next to Bass Pro headquarters—we're not. You must be in a fishing community—we're not. We are a school district in the suburbs of Missouri, and this is my 'thank you' for 10 years."

While Wood made it clear she appreciated her school district and the video was lighthearted, it sparked a vital conversation about how schools show appreciation for teachers. Many argued that small but thoughtful gestures would go a lot further than a fishing lure or a boat carpet. @sarahkieferluhring wrote, "I’m actually embarrassed that this is the best we can do for our teachers. Do you have a Venmo?" @pugglesnotdruggles joked, "It’s like trading in 10,000 tickets for a pencil topper at Chuck E. Cheese’s." @smlf1990 noted, "I feel like a $10 Dunkin' card would have been a better idea."

@cicigirard4 said, "Those options looked like what people get when they do an unboxing of Amazon returns." @befferz80 recalled her own experience, "When I was 'Teacher of the Year,' I got a lint roller monogrammed with our district’s name." @mrs.hershman added, "It’s like your admin literally spring-cleaned a junk drawer and their garage and threw the stuff in a box." @jamienrh pointed out, "Can’t believe the Wilson volleyball is actually the best option."

You can follow Melanie Wood (@melanie_in_the_library) on TikTok for more teaching content.