“Why is the Statue of Liberty surrounded by water?” (riddle)

One popular Statue of Liberty riddle is:
 
Q: Why is the Statue of Liberty surrounded by water?
A: She held her hand up, but the teacher didn’t call on her soon enough.
 
The joke appeared in the syndicated “Dear Abby” newspaper column in 1993, where it was said to be at least 50 years old.
 
   
Wikipedia: Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World; French: La Liberté éclairant le monde) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the United States. The copper statue, designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor, was built by Gustave Eiffel and dedicated on October 28, 1886. It was a gift to the United States from the people of France.
 
The statue is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States, and was a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad.
   
Chicago (IL) Tribune
DEAR ABBY.
Some Mentally Ill Afraid To Seek Help
May 04, 1993 | By Abigail Van Buren.
(...)
Dear Abby: The letter about the small boy whose teacher ignored him when he signaled that he had to go to the bathroom reminds me of an ancient riddle:
 
Q-Why is the Statue of Liberty surrounded by water?
A-She held her hand up, but the teacher didn’t call on her soon enough.
 
I have been getting smiles, and occasional chuckles, on that one for at least 50 years.
Aaron G. Todd Jr., Los Angeles
 
Twitter
ROCKWITHBECK
‏@ROCKWITHBECK
Know why the Statue of Liberty is surrounded by water? She held up her hand and the teacher said ... NO!
2:10 PM - 9 Jul 2010
 
Twitter
John Wesley Leek
‏@johnleek
@sfoles it was bizarre. He asked why the statue of liberty is surrounded by water. His answer had to do with not giving it a rr break. :/ ?
10:12 AM - 9 Jun 2012
 
Google Books
Chuckle, Giggle, Snort!:
Quips Collected By Karen Money Williams
By Karen Money Williams
Lulu Press (Lulu.com)
2013
Pg. ?:
Why is the Statue of Liberty surrounded by water? She had her hand up but the teacher didn’t call on her in time.
 
Twitter
Mark Toms
‏@MarkToms
Why is the Statue of Liberty surrounded by water? (She had her hand up, but the teacher didn’t call on her.) #quips #humor #humour #laugh
3:42 PM - 11 Aug 2014