My English 10 teacher, Dan, and his wife Michelle invited me for dinner. They also invited my student teacher, Laura. The Tebbes have 2 daughters, Hannah aged three and Rachelle aged 1.5. While Dan and Michelle finished supper prep, Laura and I were left alone in the living room with the girls. I believe I have a kid-magnet deep inside of me or maybe is just a 5 year old that seeks a kindred spirit. Whichever it is, I have always be able to win over little kids. The girls were a bit shy when we first arrived but over time they warmed up to us and we started to play. The girls were excited because 2 guests meant that each of them got their own personal play fellow. Hannah warmed up to me. Eventually she went in search of something and when she came back I knew I was in for a stretching experience - it was My Little Ponies and a hair brush. I told Laura we might need to swap kids since the first request was to undo the horses' braided hair and redo it. But I toughed it out and did my best -I did learn later that you're supposed to put the hair band close to the head for a pony tail - not at the end of the tail.
I asked Laura how many of her friends who are doing student teaching in America get to play My Little Ponies with their supervising teachers. She reckons not many!
Dinner was awesome too since the Tebbes have found a supplier for ribs which end up being the cheapest cut of meat since the Germans don't really like them. They are cheaper per pound than hamburger even! So we had racks of barbecued ribs. For dessert Dan had made baked apples stuffed with creamed cheese and spices on the grill. It was fun to get to know the Tebbes a bit more. Both worked at BFA before this year but Dan had been in the science department and Michelle was the elementary gym teacher. It has been a good experience having Dan in the department and I think he is enjoying the switch.
The girls ate early so they played while the adults ate. Hannah kept coming by to check Laura and my plates to see if we were about done so we could play some more. By the time we finished, it was bath time and bed time, so I didn't get a second chance at braiding!
