An Apple for the Teacher

Here's a little page I created. It is nothing very complicated, but I had fun cutting out images and  doodling.  And using up a couple of stickers from my stash. 

Here in the US we have a saying about giving the teacher an apple. Is it just an American notion or do people in other countries share this thought?

I was curious about the origins, and I found out it goes back to life on the American frontier back in the 1800's. Teachers hired for some of the rural one room school houses were often housed and supplied with food by families with children in the school.  The apple was given to symbolize appreciation of that teacher. I always thought it just had to do with school starting at the time apples are ripe, but maybe that is also true because these rural families would really appreciate a teacher moving into a  less than desirable area to work. 

Apples were originally grown though to make hard cider for drinking, and people rarely ate apples. Of course Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) worked to change that image and he went through places like Ohio and Pennsylvania planting lots of apple trees.  This was good since apple trees are easy to grow and they do provide a lot of food.

Apples still continue to be associated with teachers, but maybe now they are more for those brown- nosing  students who are trying  get an edge up? I've only gotten apples of couple times in my teaching career. The most memorable was when I was out sick for a couple of days once, and my whole honors class each brought me an apple on the day I returned. It was pretty cool to see all those apples lined up on my desk.

Were they brown-nosing? Maybe!

Anyhow, I am linking up to Try It on Tuesday as the theme right now is children. Nothing says children more than school, and going back to school after the summer breaks. I am also linking up to Art Journal Journey on this last day of Gill's great theme of Nature's Wonders since apples are one of nature's yummy wonders.

Thanks for stopping by!