I just finished washing fourteen apples to take to my reading class (of 14 first graders) this afternoon. Now I’m enjoying my first cup of tea and a chocolate chip cookie. I’m glad you’re joining me.

You may be wondering what apples have to do with a reading class when the teacher is taking them to the students rather than vice versa. Good question.

My students are from economically disadvantaged families and they are very happy to get a piece of fruit at 3:30 after school. So, I bribe them a little to get them to read. And anyway I’m sure you know that a hungry child is generally not as good a student as she could be.

I did some worksheets on fruits and vegetables. The first one was on apples, of course. Two of the boys had never tasted an apple. Many of the children had no idea that you could make pies, sauce, jelly, etc. using apples.

One little boy is determined to create another apple by putting his apple seeds in a cup of water. He will not hear of any other way of getting a tree to grow. He just understands that apples come from seeds and that seeds need water. He doesn’t yet get the soil and tree part.

The wicked witch had it right in the story of Snow White. Kids are really drawn to the bright red apples. They’ll eat any apples I bring but they prefer the really red ones. Those of course are usually more expensive.

I take the apples in a basket that the kids like. It has a handle and red and white checked fabric inside. I told them that it is my Little Red Riding Hood basket. Only one child understood what I meant. Seems that Little Red is a little old-fashioned.

I have the kids clean their hands with diaper wipes before they pick up an apple, but soon I see that they have placed their half-eaten apple on the carpet while they toss a Nerf ball around. They have been told to lay the apple on the table on a napkin, but they forget. No one has gotten sick and I’ve been giving them apples for months.

And now I have just one more thing to say on the subject. These kids are the apples of my eyes.

COMING NEXT: Seek at Least a Laugh A Week