The Apple on ThisTeacher’s Desk

I have an apple on my desk. (not this one—this one just looks prettier)

An apple—that sweet symbol of education: Knowledge, as many have depicted it as Eve’s forbidden fruit; Nutrition, in mind and body; Red, the color of exes on wrong answers and of the weight of test grades; Folk patriotism, as Johnny Appleseed’s token gift; Autumn, when school activities begin; Frontier Heritage, the rustic nostalgia of the little schoolhouse in the country; Well-roundedness, like the Greeks, like the Renaissance; Social Support, as the apple was one of the gifts given to teachers by parents to feed them; hard cider, because alcohol is a common use of retreat from the stress of teaching.
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This is What It’s Like to Be a Teacher: Day 1

Today is my first day as a public school teacher.

I’ve taught before in universities, and subbed long-term in public schools.  But this is my first time as a full-time teacher in a public school.  I am teaching high schoolers the art of language.
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