Our beloved math teacher at the junior high made a new rule for his class this year: no eating in class, except apples. My son came home insistent he take an apple to class the next day…you know, because Mr. Copeland said he could!
This is great timing, because the elementary garden is producing a lovely crop right now. The trees predate the character garden, but they’ve suffered neglect as long as I can remember because they were on the opposite side of the fence—no easy way to water or prune or harvest.
But with the arrival of the Hubbell gate, we peeled the fence back to make way for the eventual footpath down the hill. And in so doing, we brought four trees into the garden’s footprint.
So this week we harvested a big bowl of these organic apples and took them to math class. I checked in after first period to see this:
Gone! All apples had vanished by second period, demonstrating two principles: One, you can sneak organic nutrition in the back door when it’s made available by a cool teacher and Two, middle schoolers will eat anything in sight, even something good for them!
What's not to like? 
There are many foods Mr. Copeland didn’t like as a child, but apples were never one of them. Would you grow some delicious tomatoes sometime? I would love for him to eat them as well. Mom Copeland
Thank you for your comment Mom Copeland! As a matter of fact, I do have some lovely tomatoes I could send to the junior high! My Dad is a regular contributor to the comments of this blog, so it’s fun to have your loving motherly input as well!!! I’m sure you know this already, but your son is a favorite teacher among so many here in Julian!
Oh, Trish, this is funny; I really don’t like tomatoes. I’m not proud of it, but it’s life-long. Let’s do it, and you can video blog it!
Great idea! We will start a tomato revolution! I’ve only put one video clip on this blog so far, but it’s an absolutely precious one. Joan had the third graders go out to the garden, and this is what Kerrigan produced: post.
Love this great job
Thank you so much! I don’t know how you found your way here, but glad you stopped by!
Pauline Lawrence Kedward is me Mum, on my wife’s side. Me Mum.
Wonderful!
Handsome guy! Really, the kinds words are appreciated, and you take a good photo. Love the blog: inspires me.
So glad you liked it. I’d love for you to read some older posts that are now a bit buried: this one and and this one</a and this one.
T,
With all this apple eating at the Junior High the Doctor will have to look elsewhere ..dad
Hee hee! I fed the sixth graders apples today….and tomatoes…and even raw zucchini. They cleaned me out!
GREAT! Our apple harvest here in NY state will be dismal because of the very early high temps in spring followed by normal frost that killed the early to pop buds… 😦
Sorry to hear! We lost other fruit because of similarly weird weather, but not the apples. 😦 Also, thank you for the “one lovely blog” award—as a new blog writer and reader, I’m waiting to act on it until I’ve got my ten blogs in line to rave about!
The weather is weird and only gonna get weirder I fear.
The blog award never expires, do it when/if it feels right for you. I love what you’re doing w/ the kids…very hopeful.
*anna
I really appreciate the encouragement. All of us doing our part in our little corners of the earth…that’s what it’s gonna take!