Herzman’s classes participate in annual Emersonian Gift Exchange

Giving any thoughtful gift is difficult, but imagine trying to give a gift to a stranger that reflects your own creativity and the stranger’s innate qualities. What does the person like? Does the gift reflect effort and consideration? Will a Starbucks gift card suffice?

These are some of the dilemmas that students in Suzanne Herzman’s English 11 Honors classes faced recently. Herzman is conducting the second annual mandatory Emersonian gift exchange, a form of Secret Santa in which students give gifts that reflect transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson’s beliefs.

Students receive a copy of “Gifts,” Emerson’s essay that explains the transcendental approach to gift giving. They are asked to interpret the essay, which explains that a gift must be a portion of oneself given to the soul of another, in order to come up with a gift for their randomly drawn recipient.

Students have from November to the last day of school before finals, Dec. 12, to give their gifts. Herzman begins each class period with asking her students if one of them has a gift to present. After each gift that is presented, Herzman asks the recipient for his or her approval of the gift.

Past Emersonian gifts have included paintings, photos, films, websites and baked goods. Class of 2014 alumnus Nikhil Goel serenaded fellow classmate Brian Lyu with “Iris” by U2, one of Lyu’s favorite songs. Also that year, Stephanie Liu gave Communist-fanatic Charles Li an Ushanka, a Russian fur cap. Three years ago, Class of 2013 alumnus Nessa Kim wrote a poem to Zach Hansen that incorporated many of his witty Facebook posts. In turn, Sasan Sadaat created a painting for Kim that featured an Eleanor Roosevelt quotation they both loved.

Six years ago, Herzman only gave the essay “Gifts” to her students as a holiday gift and made participating in the Emersonian gift exchange optional. The Transcendentalism mini-unit was in May. Last year, however, English 11 Honors teachers revised their curriculum to be in chronological order, so the Transcendentalism unit came in the fall.

“I was all set to quiz my students on Emerson and Thoreau — had copies made and everything — and then saw a look of dread in their eyes that seemed to go against every Transcendentalist tenet,” Herzman said.

In response to her students’ apprehension, Herzman gave students the choice last year to either take a written quiz on Transcendentalism or participate in an exchange. So far, every class has opted to participate in the Emersonian gift exchange.

“With a test, you don't really fully understand the true meaning of what an Emersonian gift is,” junior Felicia Hung said. “All you do for tests is memorize facts, but in the gift exchange, you get to actually experience what Emerson's words really mean.”

One major challenge of the gift exchange is that students may randomly draw a classmate they don’t know well. The gift exchange requires them to befriend their classmates.

“Students have a problem to solve, and they can’t find the answer on SparkNotes. The exchange requires taking a risk,” Herzman said. “Ultimately my hope is that students are able to apply this lesson in self-reliance elsewhere in their lives.”

Hung encountered many roadblocks as she planned her gift for her recipient, junior Corinne Bryan.

“[I have to] non-discretely ask her what she likes without making it obvious that I am her Emersonian gift person,” Hung said.

Hung, who enjoys making crafts, decided to create a personalized Advent calendar for Bryan. Each day features a mini-gift; for example, for the first day Hung included a photo of her and Bryan in seventh grade.

“I thought the Advent calendar was really cute, and I get little candies from it,” Bryan said.

Despite the challenges of making the perfect gift, Hung believes that it is more meaningful than simply going to the store and buying something impersonal.

“The concept of an Emersonian gift to me means that you have to put your whole heart into the present,” Hung said.