~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
May 7, 2013

 

★~ Today’s Quote:  “An apple for the teacher will always do the trick when you don’t know your lesson in arithmetic.” (unknown) 

★~ National Teachers Day:(Tuesday of the first full week of May)

In 1944, an Arkansas teacher named Mattye Whyte Woodridge began a campaign to establish a national day that would honor teachers. Woodridge wrote letters to politicians, education leaders, and eventually the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1953, Mrs. Roosevelt convinced Congress to proclaim the first National Teacher Day.

Have you ever wondered about the tradition of giving an apple to a teacher. Wonder no longer…

The apple has been associated with education for centuries, thanks to the story of our curious friends Adam and Eve. The Tree of Knowledge’s frequent depiction as an apple tree was not lost on religious disciples who began to consider the fruit a powerful symbol of information.

Fast forward to 1700. Poor farming families in Denmark and Sweden, unable to pay for their children’s education, gave teachers baskets of apples in lieu of payment. Because the fruit spoils quickly, the families scaled back their gifting over time to a sole apple.

The practice spread to the Southern US and took hold in the 1920s as the Depression struck. Farmers’ kids gave apples, the most abundant crop at the time, to struggling teachers to help keep them satiated, teaching, and hopefully dolling out A’s. As the saying goes, “An apple for the teacher will always do the trick when you don’t know your lesson in arithmetic.”

Today is the day to show your appreciation for all the remarkable teachers who inspired you, challenged you, or even changed the course of your life. I highly recommend watching the video above… truly inspirational.

★~Roast Leg of Lamb Day:

People have been eating lamb for more than 10,000 years. During the Middle Ages, farmers learned that sheep wool could be used for clothing , skins for parchment, milk for butter and cheese, and hearty flavorful meat so sheep were considered very economical to raise.

I’m told you can cook lamb a variety of different ways, but roasting is one of the most popular methods. The dish pairs beautifully with seasonings like rosemary, oregano, thyme, or lemon zest.

My sweet Mother wants me to remind you not to forget the mint jelly. Bon appétit!

Grilled Leg of Lamb With Garlic and Rosemary

Roast Leg of Lamb

Leg of Lamb With Garlic Sauce

Lavender-Marinated Leg of Lamb

Greek Roasted Lamb

Lemon Lamb Roast

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1966 – The Mamas & The Papas made the climb to the top of the Billboard pop music chart with Monday, Monday. For three weeks Monday, Monday stayed at the top of the pop music world. The tune was the second hit by the group — just two months after their first, California Dreamin’. These two songs would be the only number one hits for the group, though they made it to number two with Dedicated to the One I Love.

♥~ 1952 – Geoffrey W.A. Dummer, a radar scientist, first presented the concept of the integrated circuit, also known as the microchip, which is the basis for all modern electronic equipment. We rely on integrated circuits to run our computers, our phones, our watches, and our calculators. They’re also used in microwaves, TVs, stereos, cars, refrigerators, and kids’ toys. Pretty much anything you plug in is going to have at least one microchip in it.

♥~ 1992 – Endeavour, the $2 billion replacement for the Challenger, was launched on its maiden voyage. During shuttle mission STS-49, astronauts set new records for duration of spacewalk and the number of astronauts outside the craft.

♥~ 1998 –  A Pasadena, California, couple returned from vacation to find over a thousand birds inside their home. The flock of small migratory swifts had flown down the chimney. Firemen helped the couple clear the birds out in about two hours, but cleaning up the mess took a lot longer.

♥~ 2000 – Mike Hennessy of West Springrfield, Massachusetts, celebrated his 50th birthday by jumping out of an airplane 50 times. Hennessy had logged more than 5,800 jumps in his life, and spent 46 hours free-falling. But he had never done more than 19 jumps in a single day.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1812 – Robert Browning poet: Pauline, Men and Women, The Ring and the Book, Pippa Passes: God’s in His Heaven – All’s Right with the World; married to poet, Elizabeth Barrett; died Dec 12, 1889

♥~ 1946 – Bill Kreutzmann musician: drums: group: The Grateful Dead: Dark Star, Anthem of the Sun, Touch of Grey, Workingman’s Dead, Skulls and Roses, American Beauty

♥~ 1952- Amy Heckerling director: Clueless, Look Who’s Talking series, National Lampoon’s European Vacation, Johnny Dangerously, Fast Times at Ridgemont High

★~ Good to Know:  Famous People Who Use to Be Teachers 

[youtube]http://youtu.be/sHMCyg-zKjY[/youtube]

♥~ Gene Simmons: The tongue-flicking bassist of Kiss taught sixth grade in Harlem before he became the world’s most famous bass-playing demon. Simmons later revealed in interviews that his superiors canned him for replacing the works of Shakespeare with Spiderman comics, which he thought the students were more likely to actually read.

♥~ Sting: Before he became a star with The Police, Sting taught English, music, and soccer at St. Catherine’s Convent School. Sting later said of working at a convent school, “I was the only man on the faculty. In fact, I was the only teacher not in a habit.”

♥~ Robert Frost: Worked as a teacher to supplement the income from his fledgling literary career. He worked as both a farmer and teacher at the Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire. His students called him “the Hen Man” because the poet was afraid of chickens, and Frost allegedly had trouble remembering to milk the school’s cows on time.

♥~ Art Garfunkel: Garfunkel was earning his doctorate in the math while teaching math at the Litchfield Preparatory School in Connecticut when “Bridge Over Troubled Water” soared to the top of the charts.

♥~ J.K. Rowling: The Harry Potter author worked as an English teacher in Portugal as she plotted out the early adventures of her young wizards.

♥~ Mr. T: In the mid 70’s Chicago students listen up with Mr T told them to do jumping jacks, wouldn’t you?

♥~ Andy Griffith: Before he was a sheriff, before he was Matlock, Andy Griffith was a teacher. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, Griffith taught English at Goldsboro High School.

♥~ Billy Crystal: The comedian worked as a junior high substitute teacher on Long Island while he waited for his career to take off.

♥~ Kris Kristofferson: The country star was a Rhodes Scholar who studied literature at Oxford before joining the Army and rising to the rank of captain. Towards the end of his tour of duty, Kristofferson took a job as an English teacher at West Point, but he decided against the professorship at the last minute. Instead of heading to New York, he resigned his commission and moved to Nashville in 1965.

♥~ Stephen King: Although he initially had to work in an industrial laundry after his college graduation, the horror master eventually found a teaching job that paid a cool $6,400 a year at the Hampden Academy in Hampden, Maine. King wrote Salem’s Lot while living in a trailer and working this job during the day.

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After three years of Parent-child classes, Cole moved into Chicago Waldorf early childhood for one year, and then it was time for kindergarten. Like most parents, we were concerned. The Waldorf teacher did not dismiss our concerns. She did not bounce around and tell us how much fun Cole would have or how much he would learn. She took Joe’s hand; She took my hand; She looked at us and said, “I will love Cole.” We knew we were lifers.

This year my 11th grader, concluded a paper about Parzival by writing “Good teachers help you bring beauty, compassion, intelligence and courage to your own quest.”  Cole and his family have been fortunate enough to experience those teachers first hand.

Almost forgot to add this from the EL Morno Archives: Teachers Day (2012) ‘ El Morno Aussie Antoinette fondly remembered a principle she had in grade school named Mother Annuciata, but nicknamed Mother Annuncifarter. Naturally El Morno friend Teresa had to comment, ” Hahahahaha, instead of The Flying Nun, your school had The Farting Nun.”  El Morno sunk to a new low. . .

Did you have a favorite teacher?

Wishing you a Terrific Tuesday.

Odd Loves Company!

♥~