There are a number of reasons why apples are the fruit of choice for teachers:
- Apples are a symbol of knowledge and wisdom (as explained above) and are therefore a fitting gift for a teacher.
- The school year often begins at the end of summer/start of autumn (fall), and it is at this time of year that apples are ready for picking. So, the time of year is certainly a factor.
Why do you give apples to teachers as gifts?
Why Do We Give Apples to Teachers?
- The Fruit of Knowledge. There are a couple of reasons for this truly odd cliché. ...
- Feeding Teachers. ...
- Apples Get Rebranded. ...
- The Persistence of Tradition—and the Ubiquity of Apples. ...
- Pop Culture Reinforcement. ...
- Visit our Back-to-School Headquarters for everything else you need to know.
How did apples become symbolic for teachers?
- The first apples were grown in Kazakhstan. ...
- The Red Delicious apple was one of those created when apple growers worked to sweeten apples in response to the temperance movement. ...
- The term “apple-polish” was coined in the early 1900s and means that a student is trying to get favors from their teacher- essentially a brown-noser or suck-up.
Why do students give apples to their teachers?
Why Give Teachers Apples? While the true origin of this small red gift is somewhat of a mystery, the apple is a powerful symbol of knowledge and education. … According to Gourmet, in the 1700s, poor families in Denmark and Sweden gave teachers baskets of apples as payment for their children’s educations.
Why do we associate apples with teachers?
Apple Teacher is a free professional learning program designed to support and celebrate educators using Apple products for teaching and learning. As an educator you can build skills on iPad and Mac that directly apply to activities with your students, earn recognition for the new things you learn, and be rewarded for the great work you do every ...
Why did early American children give teachers apples?
In the United States, early American children gave teachers apples because the “families whose children attended schools were often responsible for housing and feeding frontier teachers ,” according to a PBS special, titled “Frontier House, Frontier Life,” and noted in Smithsonian Magazine. It is also said that farmers' kids gave struggling teachers apples during the onset of the Great Depression.
What does the apple symbolize?
While the true origin of this small red gift is somewhat of a mystery, the apple is a powerful symbol of knowledge and education. From Greek mythology’s references of a divine fruit to the story of Adam and Eve and the lesson of right and wrong, we do know the apple’s symbolism got an early start in human history.
Can you give an apple to a teacher?
If your school allows it, giving a teacher an apple is still a kind way to show a teacher your appreciation!
Who sang an apple for the teacher?
As to why it’s persisted, centuries after frontier life, you can (as with so many things) blame pop culture. When Bing Crosby and Connee Boswell sang “An Apple For The Teacher” in 1939, and the next year’s Pinocchio saw Geppetto giving an apple to his little wooden son for his first day of school, the tradition became a trope.
When did the schoolchildren give apples to Miss Shields?
Decades later in 1983 , the 1940s-set A Christmas Story saw schoolchildren giving apples to Miss Shields—and Ralphie lumbering in with a giant fruit basket. The audience responds not because they remember giving apples themselves, but because the association has become such a part of our cultural language.
Why did apples taste so bad back then?
Back then, apples didn’t taste like the apples we have today. Early-American apple trees were usually grown from seeds, not grafted, which results in bitter or sour fruit not suitable for eating. As such, those apples were mainly used for making hard cider. Fortunately, old-timey folks loved cider and drank a ton of it—largely because cider, unlike water, wouldn’t give you dysentery. Anyone who’s ever played Oregon Trail (or worse yet, actually lived it from atop a covered wagon) knows what a bummer that is.
When did apple giving start?
The tradition seems to have been born from practicality, then nurtured by happy coincidences working in concert sometime between 1880 and 1920, with an early-19th century prologue.
Who is Johnny Appleseed?
This story begins with John Chapman, a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed—probably not all that shocking, considering this story is about apples in the 19th century. While the non-native apple had been transplanted from England with the first settlers back in the early 1600s, it was the efforts of Chapman and fellow settlers to the Northwest Territory in the early 1800s that ushered in the ubiquity of the apple throughout the country.
Is apple a good food?
The apple was now publicized as a healthy food for eating, not just for drinking. Within this same timeframe, another progressive movement was gaining momentum: education reforms. Only about half of the nation’s 5- to 15-year-olds attended school in 1840s. By 1870, all states had public elementary schools, and by 1918, ...
The tradition has humble origins
Except for species like crab apples, modern apples aren’t native to North America. They were first brought to the continent by early European colonists, making their Canadian debut in western Nova Scotia in the 1600s.
Alternatives to giving apples
Whatever their true origin is, at the heart of the gift-giving gesture is a sweet meaning: a show of mutual support for the teacher.
Why do students haul apples to school?
Students would haul bushels of fruits and vegetables to classrooms in order to pay for their lessons. The most popular produce given to teachers was apples as they grow commonly in a variety of climates. These apples were commonly used to make hard apple cider, regarded at the time as a safer beverage than water.
When did the apple tradition start?
In the past 300 years, the world has come a long way in educating our children. The tradition of giving an apple to a teacher started in the 1700s before governments around the world paid for the education of its people. Poor families in Denmark and Sweden gave teachers baskets of apples and potatoes as payment for teaching their children.
What is the symbol of teachers?
The Symbol of Teachers: The History of Apples in Schools. Teachers and apples have gone hand-in-hand since the 1700s. As you head off for your children’s first day of school, you may notice bright red apples decorating the classroom. This little crimson fruit has become one of the many symbols associated with schools all over the world.
What was the history of apple gifts?
Domestic History of the Apple Gifts. Until the 1800s, American children were taught by hired tutors or were sent to private schools by their upper and middle class families. But for the lower classes, children were taught by apprentices or by church-funded schools. Then, in the 1800s, Americans started various social reforms such as food ...
Why did schools become public?
Schools became publicly funded to ensure that every student was learning the same material. Unfortunately, in remote areas of the country such as the western frontier, communities were too poor to afford a teacher’s wages. Families worked out a deal with teachers to exchange lessons for produce from their farms.
Why Are Teachers Given Apples And Not A Different Fruit?
Apples are a symbol of knowledge and wisdom (as explained above) and are therefore a fitting gift for a teacher.
Author: Jonathan Sandling
I have an interest in humour and how it can enhance teaching, learning and leadership. I am a senior leader within the higher education sector in the UK and an EdD candidate at the University of Cambridge.
Why was apple the best gift for teachers?
Likewise, it’s something that’s small, flavorful, and still incredibly healthy. In short, an apple was the ultimate practical gift, and most likely it became the present of choice for teachers because of said practicality.
Why are apples important in academia?
It’s hard to pinpoint the significance of apples in academia because, well, apples are symbolic of so many things outside of the classroom. If you want to get biblical, they represent temptation, a shiny red forbidden fruit. Before pumpkin spice everything dominated the market, they were emblematic of autumn. (Granted, apple-harvesting still a pervasive fall activity for the most annoying couples in your Facebook feed.) But when it comes to its history with teachers and students, it may boil down to something simple: sensible sustenance.
Do apples give you more energy than coffee?
Don’t roll your eyes at tradition just yet. Even though it doesn’t give you that sweet cream cold brew zing, it’s worth mentioning that an apple gives you more energy than coffee. That’s right, guys, while the average cup of coffee (sans milk, sugar, and all your favorite trappings) has only approximately 2 calories, a medium-sized apple provides you with legitimate sustenance in the form of roughly 90 to 100 calories, not to mention the fruit is a host of vitamins, minerals, and plenty of good carbs. So not that you caffeine addicts should be substituting your daily coffee run with a batch of McIntoshes, but you know, food for thought.
Why are apples bitter?
As Pollan explains, sweetness is a rarity in nature. Apples benefitted from being bitter and sometimes poisonous because it allowed the seeds to spread unmolested.
What was the role of teachers on the frontier?
Held up as the paragon of moral fastidiousness, teachers, particularly on the frontier, frequently received sustenance from their pupils. “Families whose children attended schools were often responsible for housing and feeding frontier teachers,” according to a PBS special, titled “ Frontier House, Frontier Life .” An apple could show appreciation for a teacher sometimes in charge of more than 50 students.
Who was the greatest champion of the fruit?
As anyone who grew up in the Ohio River Valley knows, the greatest champion of the fruit was a wandering missionary named John Chapman, or Johnny Appleseed. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and beyond bloomed in the wake of his visits.
Is the apple a cons?
The apple, that innocent bud of an Americana autumn, has pulled off one of the greatest cons of all time. As students across the country prepare to greet a new school year and teacher with a polished bit of produce, the apple cements its place in the patriotic foods pantheon despite its dodgy past.
