The truth about why the apple stands for teacher

Most people in the United States associate teachers with apples. So, what exactly is it about the fruit that connects it to the nation’s educators? As it turns out, there are several speculations.

Most signs point to the American association of teachers and apples as coming to the country with Scandinavian settlers. Before education became a public institution, families had to pay for their child’s education. For wealthier families, that meant money or favor. For lower class families, it meant paying with goods, such as produce from the family farm. In what appears to be isolated to Denmark and Sweden, it was common practice for students to bring potatoes and apples to their teachers as payment for their education.

Both potatoes and apples were easily grown in surplus numbers and could store for long periods of time. The apple, for example, could stay fresh in a cellar for up to six months. This made them a good offering to a teacher that may want to store their “payments” until a season when fresh produce was less plentiful.

Back then, apples were not the same as those we find at the store today. They were much more bitter than the sweet treat we are accustomed to. Taking a bite out of the fruit was most likely not part of someone’s preferred palate. In fact, most people did not eat them but drank them in form of juice or hard cider. When gifted to teachers, potatoes were intended for eating.

In the early 1900s, as more schools began to receive government funding, many children no longer had to give payment to their teachers. Smaller frontier schools, however, were still left to fend for themselves. Teachers often lived in a schoolhouse that was maintained by the students. During that time, many frontier teachers still relied on community support in exchange for their teaching duties. Bringing food to them continued until it was replaced by way of a cash salary.

So why, then, did we stop giving teachers potatoes? As the story goes, the Bible may have been involved.

Aquila Ponticus, a translator for the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek, chose to translate the “tree of knowledge” in the story of  Adam and Eve to be called an apple tree. In the original text the tree was not named as to what fruit it bore. There is a high probability that Ponticus chose the apple tree to represent the “tree of knowledge” because he was translating in Greek for the Greeks. Greek mythology has long referred to apples as a symbol of desire and destruction, a similar correlation to the tree of knowledge considered good and evil. After his translation, people began to associate the apple with knowledge, which was associated with teachers.

But alcohol may have been involved in the reason why apple gifting won over the potato.

Shortly after colonizers arrived to Jamestown in the early 1600s apples made their debut in America. At the time, water was considered more dangerous than alcohol. While many people got sick from drinking tainted water, most people believed that alcohol could cure sickness. Because of this, apples were commonly used to make hard cider that flowed in large volumes, and several of our Forefathers are directly linked to its popularity.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, citizens began to raise concerns about the consumption of alcohol. Around the same time, most schools were becoming funded by the government and less families were gifting apples. The industry needed a facelift, and clever advertisers saw an opportunity to turn the fruit into a healthy snack. In 1913, Elizabeth Mary Wright wrote “Rustic Speech and Folk-lore,” a book of common kitchen cures. “Ait a happle avore gwain to bed, An’ you’ll make the doctor beg his bread,” she wrote. The more popular version is “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Because the fruit was naturally bitter, the apple industry knew they had to modify it so people would eat it. Despite early efforts of the famed John Chapman, or Johnny Appleseed, who was against modifying the fruit by grafting, growers began to cultivate it for sweetness. As more people began to taste the sweeter versions, and as its claim to fame of “keeping the doctor away” became popular, the apple transitioned into a new role.

Now considered healthy, easily grown, cheap, and ripe in September – when kids start a new school year – the apple held onto its former association with teachers. It was considered a well-wish for health and longevity, and a token of appreciation for the livelihood of the teacher. The term “apple-polisher” was first recorded in the late 1920s, referring to a student who would shine their apple in an attempt to be favored by the teacher. The rest, as they say, is history.

10 ways to create a work-at-home nook

Finding an area to work at home that gives you some peace and quiet can be a challenge. Often times an office nook is found in odd corners of the house and can be problematic when trying to create a functional design. Here are some ideas to better help you plan out a nook that will give you the feel of space, even if you don’t have much of it.

1. A writable wall using blackboard or dry-erase paint will not only allow fun when brainstorming, but can turn the smallest places into functional work areas. Target has a line of blackboard paints, and Staples has a line of dry-erase paints.

2. In small spaces, light colors will give the illusion of space. Avoid stark white, as it can make a space feel cold. Instead use shades off-white or pastels. Choose colors that are different shades of the same color—whether trim, draperies or decor—giving unity and openness to the space. Remember your ceiling is also part of your “wall” space. Painting or wallpapering it will enhance the area, making it flow as a continuous space.

3. If you choose to use curtains to divide your space from the main house, hang them from the ceiling to give a feeling of height. If total privacy is not your top priority, consider sheer curtains to allow natural light in, making your space feel more open.

4. For a rustic appeal, make a DIY freestanding wood plank wall. Build your wall, put it on wheels, and slide it into place as needed. This is a good solution for a space too cramped for a traditional door, but adds more flare than a pocket door. If you would rather a secured door, add a sliding track. Lowe’s offers a good selection to choose from.

5. Creating a nook with an interior barrier of glass or French doors can give the sense of your own space while still being able to look into the house. For the feel of additional space, consider a glass desk to allow light to flow freely.

6. No windows in your work space? Try putting an old window on the wall for decoration, adding a shanty chic outdoor appeal. For added fun, you can even place pictures in each window panel, creating a DIY picture frame.

7. If you have a small area that is longer than it is wide, consider translucent sliding doors that run the length of the skinny space. The doors will allow light in from the main house, but are frosted enough to give you privacy.

8. If you have a nook with no windows, consider making a photo wall (you can even print them yourself). Space them evenly from side to side and top to bottom, making a simple wood frame around each. Choose pictures of inspiring scenes that you can switch out to refresh the space. Don’t want to nail wood to the wall? That’s okay, try it without the frame and it will resemble DIY wallpaper.

9. If you want a simple, quick and low cost fix to a windowless nook, consider hanging a curtain at ceiling height as an accent wall. It will bring softness, length, and comfort to a space that could otherwise feel boxy.

10. No space inside your house to work? Make your own she-shed! Remodel an old shed or outdoor storage space that has gone forgotten to create a comfortable working space without building permits. You can even establish ground rules for the kids to not enter while you are working.

Tips for decorating your nook

Lighting: Avoid shadows and dark corners by strategically placing lights to give the illusion of space. Project lights upwards making column-like streaks that will draw the eye upwards, creating height and space.

Shelving: Shelves near ceiling height will make a room feel bigger. When decorating with nick-knacks, leave open spaces on purpose to enhance the openness of your nook. For bookshelves, consider floor-to-ceiling. When arranging books, try color coordinating them with the most colorful at the top. Not only with it streamline your space, but the pop of color will attract the eye and give the illusion of height and space.

Furniture: When adding furniture in your nook, choose pieces that have exposed legs for a more spacious appeal. Fabric that hangs to the ground stops the line of sight and closes in your space. To further enhance your space, try angling your furniture or placing it away from walls.

Walls: Mirrors in small spaces help reflect light, making a nook feel bigger. Try a trio of accent mirrors for a subtle enhancement or an oversized mirror to give a wall a continuous feel. When choosing art, opt for dramatic, large art that will automatically make your space feel bigger.

Decor: In small spaces, less is more. For decorative pieces, follow the “cantaloupe rule.” If it’s smaller than a cantaloupe it can make a space look cluttered, larger than a cantaloupe will enhance it. If adding accent rugs or upholstered furniture, choose small or plain prints to make the nook feel bigger. If you have windows in your space, consider matching colors inside the room with the colors outdoors to create a larger, continuous feel.

National Teacher Appreciation Week leaves bad taste in some educators' mouths

Today marks the end of Teacher Appreciation Week 2016, and although many teachers were thanked on social media, given gifts by their students and offered discounts by retailers, many educators are left with a bad taste in their mouth.

The idea behind teacher appreciation began in 1953 when former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded Congress to set aside a day in honor of educators. In 1980, the National Education Association first recognized the day as a national observance, and in 1984 the National Parent Teacher Association designated the first full week in May for teachers. Thus, National Teacher Appreciation Week was born.

In 2015, an estimated 50.1 million children (prekindergarten through grade 12) attended public schools across the nation. Those children are building a foundation of knowledge from the men and women entrusted with the task to educate the nation’s future workforce. Such children will be exposed to new things, be challenged, be pushed out of their comfort zones, and discover things about themselves they never knew before — all with the encouragement of their teachers.

So why then, many teachers have asked, are educators still undervalued in society? Educators are, after all, the people who make many first impressions on youth and are responsible for seeding the knowledge that will help grow them into productive members of society.

If the salary exchanged for a job is any indication of how important a job is deemed, than teachers seem to fall into a category of less importance. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 Wage Estimates, a teacher’s annual salary falls below a plethora of occupations that many can argue are not as fundamentally important to the future of the country.

For example, the people who repair and install elevators make an average of $77,350 a year. An insurance salesperson makes an average of $64,790 a year. Subway and streetcar drivers make an average of $60,580 a year. Food service managers make an average of $53,640, and postal service mail sorters make an average of $50,650 a year.

Teachers, on the other hand, make an annual income less than all these occupations. On average they make $47,410 a year — to help develop the minds of the next generation.

At the White House on May 3, President Obama honored 2016’s National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes, along with other nominees. He also sent out a tweet the same day thanking his fifth grade teacher for her inspiration. And in 2015, he made a presidential proclamation affirming the importance of the nation’s teachers.

“A world-class education can unlock a young person’s full potential and empower them with the knowledge and skills to reach their highest aspirations,” he wrote. “As a nation, we must provide every girl and boy in America with such an opportunity, and this cannot happen without great teachers.”

But young people are starting to question if teachers are really that valued. In fact, less college students are deciding to enter into the occupation. In 2014, only 5 percent of students who took an ACT college entrance exam planned to be involved in the profession, down from 7 percent in 2010.

Last year, TeachStrong, an alliance of 40 education organizations, joined forces to encourage the nation’s leaders to prioritize the elevation of the teaching profession. In their recent survey, they found that only 43 percent of America’s teachers feel valued in society. Despite 90 percent of American adults citing teachers as an important role in society, three of four agreed on the side of teachers – they feel teachers are undervalued.

On that same day that Obama honored 2016’s teacher of the year, education historian and activist Diane Ravitch vented her frustrations about Teacher Appreciation Week on her blog.

“Many states continue to pursue ways of limiting teacher pay, increasing class size, or otherwise manipulating the conditions of teaching without improving them,” she wrote. “What does it mean to appreciate teachers? It means respecting their professionalism.”