Students at a senior high school in Xuzhou grab some apples peeled by their teachers. [Photo/ourjiangsu.com]

The most-anticipated time of day for students in Class 14, Grade 12 at Fengxian County Senior High School in Xuzhou is "lucky apple" time, when three students will be randomly selected to enjoy an apple peeled by their teacher.

The apple is a special reward thought up by the Fengxian county government last year for Grade 12 students, who are undergoing one of the most important school years of their lives and will sit the National College Entrance Examinations in June.

The students to receive the special reward are randomly selected by educational software. Students who perform particularly well one day will have an increased chance of winning the award.

Zhang Zhaorong, the head teacher, said the students felt proud to eat the apples and that he has been able to sharpen his apple-peeling skills.

Videos of him peeling apples was recorded and uploaded by students to Douyin, a Chinese short video sharing platform. The videos won praise from netizens, who said things like "The best teachers have love in their hearts and light in their eyes."

Zhang also thought of other ways to encourage and motivate his students, such as working with parents to make e-birthday cards for students.

"The second term of Grade 12 is quite stressful and I want to help students make their lives more interesting and meaningful," Zhang said.