A picture prompt

Carrie has made Wordy Wednesday tricky this week but I think it will make for some entertaining reading.  Don't forget to click the link above and check out the other party writers.  Comments are open, so feel free to join the conversation.  

This week's prompt: 

Share a favorite picture from your life (recent or not!), tell the back story and share the details surrounding the picture.

I suppose I should have rotated this photo but having it on the side sort of makes it more intriguing.  This photo of my shadow was taken 18 months ago.  It was the last teaching day of the 2011 school year.  The day began much like any other and as the year was coming to a close it was rather hectic.  I used to walk to our local train station and ride the train to work.  I would change my clothes when I arrived at school, but on this particular day, I had been so busy that I didn't have a chance to change.

My year 9 class was small in number but they were keen on seeing their final grades.  I passed out their assignments and we discussed their results.  I showed them the comments that I had used on their reports.  That was done and dusted in about 20 minutes so with the rest of the period to fill, I took the class outside.  It was hot in the Aussie sun.  We headed down to the oval with my camera, a box of books and a basketball.  A group of the students had a game going on the outdoor basketball court while others sat around reading magazines.  One or two of the kids took my camera and snapped several photos for our "Get Caught Reading" campaign.  They wanted to take a photo of me!  There was no way I was letting anyone get a shot of me in my walking clothes, so I told them they could take a photo of my shadow.  This started a series of shadow photos and pictures of students reading that didn't include faces.  We had a lot of fun just enjoying each others' company.

It was an interesting lesson.  It was nice to sit on the grass with my students and just chat.  I was completely relaxed because I had finished teaching them for the year and I didn't need to control the conversation or worry about the time it was taking up.  There were several classes out on the field that day.  Some were basking in the sun with books, some were playing sport games.  A science class was experimenting with model rockets!  There was an atmosphere of fun and discovery and fellowship.  It all felt a bit strange in the end.  I couldn't remember the last time I had seen so many classes on the oval without a major sporting event.  The image might seem a little strange, just a photo of a shadow.  But for me, this shadow reminds me of the atmosphere on the field that day.  I remember laughing and chatting with my students and catching a few of them reading.  The moment in time that is captured by a photograph is simply amazing. 

That's that then.