Trena Kirby's Portfolio Page
I am Trena Kirby!
I teach AP Human Geography and AP US Government and Politics at Athens Drive Magnet High School in Raleigh, NC. and I am on of the few who are lucky to be able to live my passions through my career! In addition to amazing new friendships and professional connections, I hope that this experience leaves me with important understandings that I can pass on to help kids understand the world and the people in it. |
PROJECTS:
Cultural Connections Project 1: Two Travel Writing Pieces
Beer Spa Musings:
“Hmmmm… not sure about this…” said one of my fellow travelers, as we approached an alley in Karlovy Vary that sunny, cool afternoon. I heard another turn and whisper: “Did anyone read the reviews?” We had already searched for over 45 minutes for our destination, climbing up hills and knocking on the wrong doors. Now that we were here, could we turn back? No way! This is a once-in-a-lifetime cultural experience. In Prague, we could easily see the prevalence and importance of beer. Word has it that its manufacture saved thousands from succumbing to the black plague. But in this riverside enclave we could see how the hops brew has infiltrated its way into other aspects of life besides just to quench your thirst. We were looking forward to our spa experience. This idyllic Czech town is known for the healing properties of their supply of water. It is actually a 'spa town' and tourists come from near and far to get pampered and detoxified. In fact, the original (first ever!) beer spa is here and the trend diffused throughout Europe. Yes, we chose the lower cost one, since at the end of our trip our funds were reaching their limit. So here we were, at the doorway of The European Natural Beer Spa, tucked away at the end of what appeared to be a driveway (???!!) and under another building. Cautiously we tiptoed in and found the owner at the reception desk. Very cramped. Not very luxurious. And she was so nice! So we asked for a tour before plunking down our 169 Euros. Small does not even begin to describe it. One room with a tub for up to six people, and one room for a tub for up to two people. One bathroom, one dressing room. That’s it. So in other words, if we had not been the only customers that day (surprise!), they would have been fully booked. But it was clean, and we all wanted to have the experience (plus there was that 45 minutes spent searching…) so we asked for a reservation later that afternoon. We had to pay in advance, which we were ready to do, but… not so fast. We had to cross the street and go to the subterranean restaurant to make our payment. And no, we cannot split the cost, one card only. Dang. But wait! There’s more! We had to bring the receipt *back* to the spa to prove that we paid before our reservation would be confirmed. …sigh… The design of the towns seems to be common regardless of where we go: dense and making use of all available space. In fact, this one business was able to operate from two different buildings thanks to the infrastructure here! So fast-forward a few hours and our time had come. At 3:25 we all go marching up the …er…driveway and into the spa building. We were brought to the big bubbly bucket of beer and were excited to change into our swimmies and dive in. Not sure exactly what to do, I volunteered to go first and get the lay of the, uhh.. bucket. Never thought I would like warm beer so much! We were served glasses of beer (from a tap, not the bucket), and proceeded to relax, laugh, and chat away the next hour in what turned out to be a very worthwhile adventure! |
Site-Based Travel
The Kids of Terazin I know that Terazin is a common site for writing about, but there is a reason for that. No matter how much we have read or learned about in school, as Americans we cannot begin to understand the impact of the “Final Solution.” I was dreading this visit. I had already been to Berlin, where I went to a museum called “The Topography of Terror” which portrayed, in great detail, every aspect and step of the Nazi genocide against the Jews. Thankfully, since Terazin was not a “concentration” or “extermination” camp, a beginner like me could make it through without a total breakdown (but not without a few tears). As it turns out, there are two parts to Terazin. The first is a prison, which housed political dissidents, resistance members, and actual criminals, but nobody was there just because of religion. The conditions were terrible; it’s true it wasn’t a death camp, but most everyone there did die either by disease caused by poor hygiene, starvation, or execution. For me, the most powerful segment of the visit was to Terazin’s second part, the ghetto. In its time it was a mostly-Jewish village. In 1939, the Nazis in Czech Republic began shipping Jews there from other parts of the country as well as from other countries. It became a transfer spot for Jews who would ultimately end up at Auschwitz, Riga, Chelmno, or one of many other camps where almost no one made it out alive. During its time as a ghetto, the people of Terazin tried to maintain as normal a life as possible, which included running a school. While newcomers were crowding into barracks and the conditions were killing the very young, old, or weak, the residents tried diligently to keep things as normal as possible for the children. So now I come to the focus of this piece: the children. There are several spots on the property of both the prison and the ghetto that have displays of artwork by the children of Terazin. Among these are selections with a “Memories of Home” theme, which has children’s drawings of Christmas (I don’t know why; I know they were Jewish), kids sledding, kids playing soccer, and families together. They are typical of what you would expect children’s art to be with bright colors and simple drawings. Following that display is one of “Fairy Tales.” A common strategy used by the teachers was to redirect the pupils’ attention to happier subjects and have them draw fairies, shooting stars, knights, and princesses. These were, predictably, bright and happy in tone – fun to look at. Then came the collection of reality. The pictures the kids drew about what they saw around them every day were horrifying. No child should be drawing pictures such as these. Not a smiley-face to be found; in fact, the sky was never blue either. Even the simplest, most basic drawing was effecting at conveying the misery encountered by these people on a daily basis. Grays, browns, and blacks were primarily the colors used. People crowded on bunks; people crying; even people leaving on trains. There is not a lot of realistic photo documentation from this time and place. The most you are able to find are the propaganda photos and movies that show people having a wonderful time singing, playing sports, and having coffee at the local café. These were all staged, so the children’s artwork is the testimony that is left. When I think about all the kids art I have seen over the years I imagine rainbows, sports, and all the myriad of colors overlapping on my refrigerator over the years. What I cannot imagine is my own children, or any children that I know, having any experience that would prompt artwork as haunting as what I witnessed at Terazin. Photo credit to Nichole Olbertz |
Cultural Connections Project 2: Scripted Duologue (Plotagon Animation)
Cultural Collections Project 1: Mapping Cultural Themes (Clio)
This building was built in the 1920s by a wealthy Polish banker. The architectural style is neoclassical; however, the building was quite modern. It was air-conditioned, had a pneumatic tube system, and boasts on of the three still-exiting Paternoster elevators in the city. In 1938 the Pretschek family fled then-Czechoslovakia and sold the building to the state.
When the Nazi regime took over and Czecholovakia became a "protectorate," the party requisitioned the building and used it as Gestapo headquarters. This is the building that suspected resistance and political opponents were brought in for questioning. The basement was used for what we might call "enhanced interrogation" - torture, and many died here. I find its location a bit ironic, since it sits at the far end of Wenceslas Square in the vicinity where ordinary Czechs organized against the Nazis just before the end of the war. They actually built a barricade of cars, furniture, and just about anything they could find to hold the Nazis back from being able to access the train station for escape. Pro-tip on this location. You can get a better picture if you climb a nearby hill. But beware that the grass on this (very steep) hill is really slippery. If you lose your footing, you will s-l-i-d-e all the way down the hill on your butt and possibly right into a parked car. Trust me on this one. |
Cultural Collections Project 2: Curating Cultural Themes (Padlet)
Cultural Collections Project 3: Neighborhood Analysis (Weebly Slide Show)
Karlin, Prague 8
This neighborhood seems very cleanly divided between business and residential. Close to the river you will find business and industry and quite a bit of traffic. As you get further inland, the landscape gives way to more trees, cobblestone streets, and residential areas. On street level are doctors’ offices, shops, and cafes, while the upper floors are flats and apartments. It appears that most of the residents are young-ish families who own their flats, although some are rented and some are Air bnbs. In contrast to the business district, the residential area was quiet and almost deserted. A café owner told us that many residents had left for vacation, since the day of our visit was the first day out of school for most children. In fact, the centerpiece of this part of town seemed to be the (very large) elementary school and park.
The buildings in the commercial area are definitely more modern in appearance. Some are clearly ‘green’ and environmentally sustainable. In two slides you can see the “Butterfly Building” where every other outer panel was planted with greenery to be energy efficient. It turns out that the elementary school, which looks much like a castle, is themed around sustainability and even has vegetable gardens in the (multiple) playgrounds. Other than the park and the playgrounds, there doesn’t seem to be much green space in terms of yards or courtyards. It appears that most people walked or biked around town.
This neighborhood seems very cleanly divided between business and residential. Close to the river you will find business and industry and quite a bit of traffic. As you get further inland, the landscape gives way to more trees, cobblestone streets, and residential areas. On street level are doctors’ offices, shops, and cafes, while the upper floors are flats and apartments. It appears that most of the residents are young-ish families who own their flats, although some are rented and some are Air bnbs. In contrast to the business district, the residential area was quiet and almost deserted. A café owner told us that many residents had left for vacation, since the day of our visit was the first day out of school for most children. In fact, the centerpiece of this part of town seemed to be the (very large) elementary school and park.
The buildings in the commercial area are definitely more modern in appearance. Some are clearly ‘green’ and environmentally sustainable. In two slides you can see the “Butterfly Building” where every other outer panel was planted with greenery to be energy efficient. It turns out that the elementary school, which looks much like a castle, is themed around sustainability and even has vegetable gardens in the (multiple) playgrounds. Other than the park and the playgrounds, there doesn’t seem to be much green space in terms of yards or courtyards. It appears that most people walked or biked around town.
Cultural Collections Project 4: Museum Artifact Analysis (Voicethread)
Prague Visual Thinking Strategies - 3 Museums
Cultural Reflections Project 1: Czech Education System, "The Last Word" Discussion
It has been a couple of weeks since our discussion, but I still cannot get out of my mind the idea of including low socioeconomic status as a factor for special needs. To me, this is so obviously a factor in school performance, and is often closely linked to the more traditional considerations (disabilities, etc.). It was also so interesting to see that the Czech educational system faces many of the same challenges as the American system, in that teachers feel undervalued and underpaid, while a certain segment of the population doesn't want their kids to be educated alongside "those" kids and so pull their resources off to private organizations. I suppose both of these are fairly universal issues, and whomever stumbles across a solution has won the lottery.
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
Operation Anthropoid. Directed by Sean Ellis. LD Entertainment. 2016.
I have a great interest in resistance movements, so I was immediately drawn to the premise of this movie. Set in World War II Prague, the movie focuses on a specific mission by Czech resistance fighters to assassinate the Nazi SS General, Reinhard Heydrich, known now as Operation Anthropoid. At first, I was disappointed. I couldn’t understand what most of the cast was saying! The actors had various accents of their own (Irish, for instance) and then were speaking in a supposedly Czech accent. A quick switch to turn on the captions and the problem was solved. The language issue may also have been one reason I didn’t particularly appreciate the depth and length of background that was, essentially, the entire first half of the film. It was hard to get into the “plot” or even to understand what the plot was and the characters were not as well-developed as I thought they should be. I would have been interested to know the personal motivations behind the resistance fighters’ determination; there had to be more there than simple patriotism. They knew they wouldn’t live through the ordeal, but they didn’t know if they would achieve their mission, so how did that cost/benefit analysis even work? The inclusion of Jan’s love interest was a distractor, but I suppose it was a ploy to humanize and add another dimension to the character, a goal better achieved through the subplot of the nephew’s violin avocation. About halfway through the film, it all started to come together for me. Each character’s role became clearer, as did the details of the plot. The intricacy was fascinating, considering the relative absence of technology and the reliance of signals such has holding a newspaper a certain way. The events unfolded clearly, and according to my subsequent research, fairly accurately in terms of who shot whom and when, and making it clear that Heydrich didn’t die instantly from the gunshot, but instead expired at the hospital several days later. The cinematic effects at the climax of the film were especially moving. To put the church battle into slow motion made the scene so powerful that I found myself holding my breath most of the way through it. The detail was exceptional, with the expressions on the characters’ faces so clear in showing what I thought they must be feeling, right up to the point when each decided to end his life on his own terms rather than at the receiving end of German ammunition. It struck me how many of the conspirators chose to end their own lives when faced with the possibility of capture and torture; it’s too bad the nephew didn’t have this option. The one character that stuck with me long after the movie was over is Karel (?), who betrayed the plans of his compatriots in an effort to save his family. Just like I would like to know more about the would-be assassins’ personal stories, history, and motivations, I would be interested to learn more about the moral dilemma this man faced. How far do you go, how much can you sacrifice, how much can you ask of your family, in the quest of good over evil? “Operation Anthropoid” left me wanting to know more. I want to know more about these men. I want to know more about the networks that helped them. I want to know more about other similar resistance operations. I have included more research into the topic in my free-time plans while in Prague. |
Cultural Reflections Project 4: Czech Book Review
Book Review, Someone Named Eva
Someone Named Eva was a terrific read. The character of Eva was so well-developed, it was easy to see the story through her eyes. It may be sacrilege to say so, but I almost think this could be an alternative read to Anne Frank's Diary for middle-school aged students. One important thing about this book is that it leaves the reader with a desire to investigate more about Lidice and the adoptions. Especially gratifying was the fact that the story was a wonderful precursor to the movie I chose, "Anthropoid," which was based on the retribution of the Caech resistance for the massacre of the village. I am an avid reader, and was completely through this book before I realized that it is considered young adult historical fiction. |