Joshua Gallagher's Portfolio
My name is Josh Gallagher and I am currently in my third year of teaching at Ravenscroft School where I teach 7th Grade World Geography and 8th Grade World History. Prior to that I taught at Wake Forest Middle School for ten years and I started my teaching career in Greeley Colorado a few years prior to moving to North Carolina. My wife Renae and I are the proud parents of our two daughters Darian and Peyton. Darian is a recent college graduate who is now serving as an Americorps Vista volunteer in California and Peyton is a 6th grader at Ravenscroft. Renae and I have traveled to Ireland and Northern Ireland many years ago. Recently we have traveled to Mexico City twice. I have been really fortunate to travel to Costa Rica with students on a service trip last year. That is the extent of my traveling experience. This will be my first time to continental Europe and I am looking forward to all that Prague and the Czech Republic has to offer. To say that I am excited would be an understatement! The opportunity to travel with fellow educators and learn from them will be a fantastic experience.
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PROJECTS:
Cultural Connections Project 1: Two Travel Writing Pieces
Experience-Based Travel Writing Piece:
Have you ever wondered what life in Prague was like during the 16th and 17th centuries? Do you want to experience the beauty of Prague under the cover of darkness? Well, if so you will need a guide and there is no one better than the Night Watchman of Prague. The Night Watchmen had many roles but most often he patrolled the streets looking for suspicious characters to prevent crime and call out the time. You will not encounter any suspicious characters on your tour but Martin or David will give you a fantastic tour that starts at the old Powder Gate and will pass by the Bohemian Theatre, Old Town Square along with many other key points of interest and ends at the Charles Bridge. Follow the track of noblemen, common citizens, and colorful figures from yesteryear and hear stories about the Black Plague, the Hussite Wars and people being burned at the stake in the town square. The tour is based on historical fact and does include what some may consider gruesome details. Prior to starting the tour The Night Watchman does a wonderful job of explaining what his was during this time period. He is dressed from head to toe in time period apparel and no detail is spared. He is an imposing figure with his lantern and halberd. A snack will be provided that consists of bread of the common people. This is an interactive tour and highly entertaining that brings history back to life from the perspective of a medieval character. |
Site-Based Travel Writing Piece:
The National Monument at Vitkov Hill considered to be one of the highest points in the city is a must see for history lovers. This 20th century memorial with a sixteen and a half ton sculpture of Hussite leader Jan Zizka was originally built to memorialize the heroes of World War I. However the communists had different ideas and used it as a place to display the mummified body of Klement Gottwald, the country's first communist leader. Today the museum is a treasure trove of 20th century Czech historical artifacts. These artifacts touch on specific time periods in Czechoslovakian history. There are artifacts from the founding of Czechoslovakia in 1918, Nazi occupation in 1939, the communist coup d'etat in 1948 ( Gottwald took over as leader), the Warsaw Pact invasion of 1968, and thankfully the fall of communism in 1989. All the exhibits have detailed explanations of the artifacts in Czech and English and provide wonderful insight into the time periods. In the basement of the building there is a fascinating exhibit of the embalming and preservation of Klement Gottwald that includes a death mask. There is also a great exhibit of czech clothing that represents different periods of Czech life such as scouting and tramping movements. Below is a picture of an outfit typically worn by those who tramped. They would be very similar to hippies. Lastly one of the most if not the most powerful exhibit is the one that contains Jan Palach's possessions and a death mask at the time of his death. Jan Palach was a student of history and political economy at nearby Charles University when he set himself on fire in protest of the soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia on January 16, 1969. I highly recommend making this museum a priority while in Prague. |
Cultural Connections Project 2: Scripted Duologue (Plotagon Animation)
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Cultural Collections Project 1: Mapping Cultural Themes
When people think of Vitkov Hill most people immediately think of the Massive equestrian statue (largest in the world) of Jan Zizka that is located in the front of the museum that overlooks the city of Prague. The National monument was built between the years of 1927-1932 to honor the creation of the Czechoslovakian state and its history. Vitkov Hill has played an important role in several events in Czech history. Vitkov Hill was first mentioned as being used as a vineyard during the 1300s under the rule of Charles IV. Later it was used in a battle against the Roman Empire and a rallying point for the Hussites against Roman occupation.In 1918 when an independent Czechoslovakia was created there was a desire to create a place that celebrates the rich Czechoslovakian history. The hope was to create a place that housed a library, archive, and museum. However, more recently the monument had been used by occupying forces such as the Nazis and Soviets. During World War II the monument was seized by the Germans and everything of any value such as metals and artwork was confiscated. From 1942 until the end of the war the Nazis used it as an administration building and storage facility. It is rumored that once the Nazis heard of the plan to create the equestrian statue of Jan Zizka the model had to be broken into little pieces and be hidden from the Gestapo who were eager to find it and destroy it. The sculpture was finally created at the end of World War II and the hope is that it would be used as a tribute to resistance movements in Czech history. The Soviets had different ideas and under their occupation of Czechoslovakia, the National monument was used for propaganda by the communist regime and prominent communist leaders in Czechoslovakia were buried there.
In 1953 the Soviets decided to turn the monument into a mausoleum for Klement Gottwald the first communist leader of Czechoslovakia. His body was on display from 1953-1962. Today the monument is home to some wonderful pieces of Czech history and is specifically focused on five key milestones: the foundation of Czechoslovakia in 1918, the Munich period in 1938 and the end of Czechoslovakia in 1939, the revival of Czechoslovakia in 1945 and the communist takeover three years later, the foundation of the Czech and Slovak Federation in 1968, and the fall of communism in 1989 together with the split of Czechoslovakia in 1992. |
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Cultural Collections Project 2: Curating Cultural Themes (Padlet)
Cultural Collections Project 3: Neighborhood Analysis (Weebly Slide Show)
It was challenging to decide on the best neighborhood to visit on my own my today considering Prague has about over 50 to choose from. I made the decision to visit Dejvicka also known as Prague 6. The communist party at one time was very fond of this area and many symbols still remain from that era. My first stop was the Hotel Independence located on the grounds of a former brink plant. Architect Frantisek Jerabek spear headed the construction and was supported by a team from the Military Building Design Institute. The original goal was to have a place that reflected the context of the era and Czechoslovakia was being visited on a regular basis by numerous high level Soviet delegations and advisors for whom there was no accommodations that met their corresponding level of importance. The lateral wings of the hotel as you can see in the photos below were intended to be small bachelor flats for Soviet officers. The central part of the hotel was intended to serve as a non public luxury hotel for the Soviet advisors and those of prominent military rank.
While under construction it was determined that the Soviet army would not be able to use the space because they would fail to fill up the capacity of the hotel on a regular basis by themselves. It was decided that the hotel would become only a luxury hotel. Given that the intended purpose was changing the layout of the hotel had to be modified. Some of those changes are as follows were that the gymnasium was turned into a convention hall with a bar situated in the place of a former storeroom containing gymnastic mattresses. the hotel construction was completed in 1956 and the interior was finished in 1957.
The hotel has changed its name twice after 1989. It was first named after the hotel chain Holiday Inn and later the Crowne Plaza. It will be forever known as the Hotel Independence by the young and old of Prague. Lastly the original symbol of the hotel a five pointed star located at the top has remained in its current place. The star is attached to the hotel on a steel structure that allows it to be taken into tower of the hotel at night to be cleaned. As a rule the star was taken in at night so that the disappearance of the star could not give rise to any speculations about the government. The original star was glazed in red and equipped with internal lighting to make it glow in the dark. The star today is still five pointed however it is gold in color. Louis Armstrong was a guest at the hotel in 1965 there a few pictures located by the bar.
A few blocks up the street on the east side is a statue of Ivan Konev. He was Soviet military commander who led the red army on the Eastern front during World War II and played a key role in the capture of Berlin effectively ending the war. The statue has been in the news recently when the writing on the plaque next to the statue was changed to more accurately portray his role in the liberation of Czechoslovakia while under nazi control in May 1945. The previous plaque was have to exaggerated his role while leaving out more notorious actions such as the suppression of the Hungarian uprising in 1956 and the overseeing of the building of the Berlin Wall.
The community is a residential neighborhood that has a number of cafes, bars, and restaurants. A number of embassies and universities are located in the neighborhood. The Czech Technical University is located here as is the National Library of technology that is open to the public. It also still has a number of communist era apartment blocks. During my visit I encountered a number of residents that did speak English and I was informed at the hotel that there are a high number of British and Americans that work and live in the area. Everyone that worked at the hotel spoke English. I did see a number of corner stores but during my visit I did not see any large grocery store chains. I saw a high number of cars on the road and it did appear that parking was limited on the main streets as well as side streets. A large number of people were using the public transportation system which was a tram. I noticed a large number of smaller parks located on side streets with children playing.
Dejvicka also has a sports complex located in the town that assists in the training of amateur and professional athletes. I had the opportunity to speak with a young man who was taking a gap year and training under the tutelage of a current Czech Olympic athlete who competes in track and field. He shared with me that at this facility named Dukla Praha people train for track and field, soccer, swimming, biking, and the pentathlon among other things. a number of athletes were coming in and out of the building while we were speaking and a few were wearing Czech Olympic team gear. The age range runs from elementary school to amateur athletes along with military personal who have decided to put off their enlistment to train in a specific sport. I was also informed that they have facilities like these all over the country and depending on their location the specialize in certain sports.
This facility is also home to Fk Dukla Prague which is part of the Czech football association. They currently play in the Czech National Football League.The club was founded in 1958 and has moved around from various Czech football divisions. The traditional colors of the club are yellow and red and play their home matches at Stadion Juliska. There is a statue outside the stadium of Josef Masopust who according to a few people I spoke with was and is the best Czech footballer of all time. He played for Dukla from 1952-1968 and also played on the Czechoslovakia national team as well from 1954-1966 earning 63 caps.
Cultural Collections Project 4: Museum Artifact Analysis (Voicethread)
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Cultural Reflections Project 1: Czech Education System, "The Last Word" Discussion
I found the information on the Czech Republic upper secondary education very interesting. Students have the opportunity to choose between a general or vocational education which is typically four years in length and is not considered mandatory. The report shared that at this level vocational education is much more common than secondary education and that students who graduate with a vocational certificate often do not continue in the classical education system but rather pursue their chosen field. Having grown up in the Philadelphia area where vocational schools were common and often utilized by many students who enjoyed the opportunity to learn the needed skills to be a carpenter, mechanic, or electrician among many other professions it has been interesting to see that here in North Carolina there are next to no vocational schools.
Cultural Reflections Project 2: Cultural Writing
We will be working with different cultural writing forms in Raleigh, and then you will choose one form to develop in Prague (e.g., a bio poem about a famous Czech layered over an image using Pixlr). Please include ALL of your writing here, including the test pieces from Raleigh and your original piece from Prague. Drag over relevant blocks and place below (e.g., an image block for a Pixlr image, an embed code block for a Prezi slideshow, etc.). Two image and one embed code block have already been placed below for you, but they can be deleted/changed as needed.
Cultural Reflections Project 3: Czech Film Review
The movie Anthropoid is based on the true story about two men who parachute into Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia in December of 1941. Their objective is to make contact with their contact in Czechoslovakian contact. The two main characters are Jozef Gabcik a Slovakian soldier and Jan Kubis a Czech citizen. I found the movie to be action packed from the start. Both men parachute into Czechoslovakia and immediately Jozef is injured when he crashed through the trees in a densely forested area. When they meet up with their contacts they soon discover that they are traitors and jozef kills the one and the other escapes. Jan was in pursuit of the other contact and has difficulty shooting him. We will see this be an issue for Jan later in the movie as well.
Jan and Jozef under the cover of darkness eventually find refugee at a veterinarian's office in Prague where the vet Dr. Eduard stitches up Jozef's foot and assists them in meeting up with the members of the Czech resistance fighters. At this point it is revealed to all that the goal is to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich ( Operation Anthropoid) the head of Nazi forces in Czechoslovakia. Heydrich is also the main architect of the Holocaust. The majority of the movie focuses on how they are going to assassinate Heydrich considering they have limited information on his day to day activities except for when he leaves his home each morning and arrives at Prague Castle. they discover that heydrich sticks to a set routine. They also face an uphill battle with regards to access to weapons given that the city is under Nazi control. Both men end up meeting two young women who along with a few others assist in planning the ambush that will eventually end Heydrich's life. There is a bit of a love story that takes place especially between Jan and one of the young women. As the movie progresses there is difference of opinions on when would be the best time and place to assassinate Heydrich and you see those play out. Eventually assassins choice is made for them. They receive information that Heydrich will soon be transferred to France. so on May 27, 1942 the attack is carried out in the streets of Prague. They decide on a spot where three roads merge into one that requires motorists to slow down. Jan and Jozef wait ta the spot with a few other men and when the car arrives they open fire however Jozef's gun jams and Jan throws a grenade that destroys the rear of the car and in doing so severely wounds Heydrich with shrapnel. The men get into a shoot out with Heydrich and his driver but eventually escape and go on the run. The men take refuge in Saint Cyril Cathedral. It is soon discovered that they are hiding there when the son of the family they were hiding with gives them away after being tortured. Nazi troops soon storm the church and eventually Jan and Jozef along with the other men are killed. Overall I really enjoyed the movie and seeing what happened behind the scenes leading up to the assassination. The love story I could have done without. |
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Cultural Reflections Project 4: Czech Book Review
The book looks at the life of Milada a soon to be 11 year old Czechoslovakian girl who lives with her family in the small village of Lidice. The book begins with Milada celebrating her 11th birthday with family and friends but quickly takes a turn for the worse a few days later when the Nazi regime takes over Czechoslovakia. The Nazis soon give orders to Milada and her family to pack their things and leave their home. They are given orders to pack enough things for three days. Milada, her mother, grandmother, and young sister are soon separated from her father and brother. They are sent and housed at a local building in Lidice with other women and children. Milada is given a medical examination where Nazi doctors take very specific measurements of her facial features. Milada has blonde hair and blue eyes and after the the measurements it is determined she has the perfect proportions to be an Aryan citizen.
Milada is separated from her family and sent to Poland where she will be indoctrinated into the German culture with schooling and behavior modification. The majority of the girls located at this school have the same attributes as she does. Each girl is given a new name, Milada will be given the name Eva and is given preferential treatment. Some of the girls struggle with this indoctrination and "disappear". The school is very strict and the students are stripped of their identity. They are forced to speak German and learn about the Nazi philosophy and what their role will be as a good German woman. Milada will be adopted by a German family whose father is the head of a German women's camp near the home. To find out how the stories ends you will have to get the book. This is a great book for middle school aged children and one that will keep students on the edge of their seats. |