It’s funny how life works. One door closes; and another one opens. I have been feeling sorry for myself. A little sad. A little lost. A little alone (One Last Time). And then, out of the blue, I receive a message from a friend (Cole does surgery), would I be interested in teaching a photography class to the local Christian homeschool co-op?
I am not a photographer, but I am a photo-enthusiast. I love kids. Even more, I need to get out of the house. Working from home is a true blessing, but I miss people. Teaching a class once a week is the perfect way to indulge both my hobby, and fill my people need. I said “YES!”
I have a great group of kids, primarily teen girls, and I absolutely adore their enthusiasm. They may be teens, but they are my people. Their joy is contagious and I feel I am seeing the world around me through new eyes. I couldn’t have said YES to a better opportunity.
Yesterday we had our first field trip, a little spontaneous, something wonderful & possible in a small homeschool co-op. The monuments instructor had found a fun contest run by Wikipedia that combined my class (photography) and her class (monuments): “Wiki love Monument”. The catch is… we have to have our submissions turned in by September 30th. Off to rubble mountain (The Golden Child) we went!
From Wikipedia:
The Birkenkopf (help·info) is a prominent hill in Stuttgart, Germany. At an elevation of 511m, it is the highest point in the city centre of Stuttgart and is almost 300m higher than the river Neckar on which the city lies. It is in part a Schuttberg, an artificial hill built from the ruins and rubble from World War II.
During the war, 53 Allied bombing missions destroyed over 45% of Stuttgart, and nearly the entire city center. Between 1953 and 1957, 1.5 million cubic meters[1] of rubble were cleared and moved to the hill, which resulted in an increase in height of around 40 meters. At the summit there are many recognizable facades from ruined buildings. The locals colloquially call the Birkenkopf “Monte Scherbelino”, which roughly translates as “Mount Shards” but in an expression alluding to Italian.[1] One of the pieces of rubble has a plaque attached to it, which says: Dieser Berg nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg aufgetürmt aus den Trümmern der Stadt steht den Opfern zum Gedächtnis den Lebenden zur Mahnung. This translates roughly as: This mountain piled up after World War II from the rubble of the city stands as a memorial to the victims and a warning to the living.
We had a wonderful picnic dinner (a huge thank you to my fellow instructors for feeding me & Dane); a group prayer and the perfect lighting for my students to truly begin to learn what their cameras can do. The majority of the photo’s below are mine, however, trust me, they are already creating some amazing images. I am in awe of them and their potential.
A rare glimpse of the photographer in the wild… one of my students at the top of Birkenkopf with Stuttgart in the background
Photo by a student, of another student with the cross and Stuttgart in the background
My students ❤
The path down just before sunset.
Dane enjoying the sunset.
Part of a Reichsadler “Imperial Eagle” near the top of the rubble.
The top of Birkenkopf – Monte Scherbelino – Rubble Mountain
The sun is almost gone, one last photo of Dane.
Wow, what an incredible place. Thanks for sharing the pictures. I’m sure your students will enjoy YOU, as much as they enjoy learning from you. Congratulations on your new adventure!
Wooow, I am in awe – this is already something magical!! There are no coincidences, just chances for miracles waiting to happen. I am soo happy for you, T.! Way to go, you are already an inspiration!
Love all the images!! That Dane is a looker, handsome guy… watch out girls… 🙂
What a great place for this class to go, learning photography, history and philosophy all at the same time! The perfect job for you, Toiny.
Congrats on your new job – with your enthusiasm they will love photography. Enjoyed the great photos!
Gloria