Rachel Mulock's Portfolio Page
Hey y'all!
My name is Rachel and I am an elementary school Spanish teacher at Hillsborough Elementary School in Orange County. I love teaching foreign language, learning new languages, and playing with my fur child, Frances. In addition to teaching I am the Executive Director of the Miss Orange County and Miss Orange County's Outstanding Teen Scholarship Program where I secure scholarships for young women in the Triangle area. The two young women crowned continue on to the Miss North Carolina competition, and subsequently the Miss America competition. Being able to coach young women in the areas of interview, public speaking, modeling, and stage presence is an incredible opportunity. The Miss America Organizatoin prepared me for my professional life, and I'm excited to see the lives of young women change through this program! When I'm not teaching, lesson planning, or working for my 501(c)(3) I like to play in the dirt: I am the head softball coach at A.L. Stanback Middle School. I played softball for fourteen years (ten years as a pitcher) and now get to enjoy the game from the third base coach's box. Working with middle school girls is an amazing way to teach about sportsmanship and what it takes to push yourself to become a better athlete, and hard worker. |
PROJECTS:
Cultural Connections Project 1: Two Travel Writing Pieces
Experience-Based Travel Writing Piece:
A last minute decision to attend a performance by the Prague Baroque Ensemble turned into an unforgettable experience with an oboe, Bach, and bees. Upon arriving to the Rudolfinum we discovered that we would be walking up to the roof, so get ready for a workout! Uncountable steps later we arrived on the roof, breathless and with the realization that we could all use a little more cardio. We dove right in by talking about the statues of famous musicians who adorn the rooftop of the Rudolfinum. There are only deceased musician statues on the building, such as Bach and Beethoven. Also on the roof are five of the most beautiful beehives I've ever laid my eyes on. The bees produce honey that is collected and sold by the concert hall, and we were given the opportunity to try it out. Interestingly enough, the concert hall has not historically been just a concert hall - it was also used as a parliamentary building and gymnasium. The concert was performed by the Prague Baroque Ensemble, which consists of six musicians, all of whom are members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. They performed pieces by Marcello, Bach, Pachelbel, Purcell, Handel, and Vivaldi. I would have loved to record part of the perforamce (especially as one of my favorite pieces was performed), but being enraptured by the music took priority over sneaking out my phone. Below I have included the operatic version of one of the pieces performed (my favorite piece!), Handel's Largo from the opera Xerxes. |
Site-Based Travel Writing Piece:
Visiting the cathedral at Prague Castle is an awe-inspiring experience. The cathedral is incredibly majestic, and it makes you think about the man power, dedication to the church, and hard work that went into it for so many years. Interestingly enough, 44.7% of of Czechs are "undeclared" when it comes to religion, and 34.5% are atheist. The next highest percentage in the Czech Republic are Catholics, comprising 10.5% of the population, while Protestantism is only 1% of the population. Aside from the religious aspects of the cathedral, when the site of the church was first founded in 925 it quickly became an important cultural and administrative institution for the church. Fast forward to the early 14th century, and the Gothic cathedral started being built, whereas it had previously been a rotunda and basilica. In 1419 construction came to a halt during the Hussite Wars, and the church sat incomplete until the second half of the 19th century. |
Cultural Connections Project 2: Scripted Duologue (Plotagon Animation)
Export your finished Plotagon animation as a .mp4 file and upload to your portfolio page here. After upload, click "Publish" to save to the live site. Then you may delete this text block.
Cultural Collections Project 1: Mapping Cultural Themes (Clio)
Saint Nicholas church is the most famous Baroque church in Prague. Before the church towers were built by the Jesuit college designers it was a Gothic parish built in 1283. The towers and facade were added to the church and the Pope declared the church the main parish of the Lesser Town in 1775.
The construction of the church lasted for one hundred years, and consisted of three generations of Baroque architects within the same family. All of the paintings, sculptures, and carvings one can see in the church are from the 17th and 18th centuries. During the Soviet regime the church was secretly used as a place from which to spy on the local towns people. If the guard on watch saw something he didn't like he would call that person or persons for an interrogation. At the top of the church there is a small room in the tallest steeple that no one was aware of at the time. Only after the Soviet regime had ended the room was discovered by church goers and its dark history revealed. |
Cultural Collections Project 2: Curating Cultural Themes (Padlet)
Cultural Collections Project 3: Neighborhood Analysis (Weebly Slide Show)
Walking around Holesovice is an unforgettable experience - from the beautiful buildings to the unusual pets you'll see on the sidewalks with their owners (ever seen a woman with her ferret on a pink harness? Neither had I until coming to Prague.). Touring this neighborhood gives you a true sense of the Czech way of life.
My first observation about this neighborhood in Prague 7 was its unusual (or what seems unusual to an American) quietness. Walking down the street you feel as though you need to whisper as to not disturb any one or any thing that might be within earshot. The Czech people don't have loud conversations walking from place to place, or on the tram or metro, which is a stark contrast to life in the States.
The buildings in this neighborhood are beautiful, namely the church in town and the general coloring of the buildings. The rows of colorful facades reminds one of Rainbow Row in downtown Charleston. Being in this neighborhood is quite peaceful, and the residents seem very respectful of those around them. The children play quietly together and walk politely next to their mothers' sides - it's the ultimate teacher dream.
The next door neighbor of Holesovice is Letna, home to Prague's biggest park. The park is stunning, with apple and cherry trees where the fruit is free to be picked. The most interesting thing about the park, however, is the fact that there is a nuclear bunker in the park. Not only is this nuclear bunker still in existence, but it lies beneath what used to be a monument to Joseph Stalin. After the monument was destroyed it was replaced (briefly) by a statue of Michael Jackson, and now it is a metronome to signal the changing times in the Czech Republic.
My first observation about this neighborhood in Prague 7 was its unusual (or what seems unusual to an American) quietness. Walking down the street you feel as though you need to whisper as to not disturb any one or any thing that might be within earshot. The Czech people don't have loud conversations walking from place to place, or on the tram or metro, which is a stark contrast to life in the States.
The buildings in this neighborhood are beautiful, namely the church in town and the general coloring of the buildings. The rows of colorful facades reminds one of Rainbow Row in downtown Charleston. Being in this neighborhood is quite peaceful, and the residents seem very respectful of those around them. The children play quietly together and walk politely next to their mothers' sides - it's the ultimate teacher dream.
The next door neighbor of Holesovice is Letna, home to Prague's biggest park. The park is stunning, with apple and cherry trees where the fruit is free to be picked. The most interesting thing about the park, however, is the fact that there is a nuclear bunker in the park. Not only is this nuclear bunker still in existence, but it lies beneath what used to be a monument to Joseph Stalin. After the monument was destroyed it was replaced (briefly) by a statue of Michael Jackson, and now it is a metronome to signal the changing times in the Czech Republic.
Cultural Collections Project 4: Museum Artifact Analysis (Voicethread)
Cultural Reflections Project 1: Czech Education System, "The Last Word" Discussion
What struck me most about the Czech educational system was the division between the six and eight-year gymnasiums. Students have the option to choose their educational track in fifth grade /seventh grade to decide whether they want a six or eight-year track. Students can also choose to enter a music or dance conservatory as well, which is an eight-year gymnasium. As someone who had five majors I can’t imagine having to make such a life changing decision in elementary school! I’m sure that this decision is mainly made by the parents of the child, but this still seems like a monumental decision for someone so young. In Spain, for example, students choose their track (vocational or university-geared) in high school. I think that this is a much better way for students to make life choices – later in life, when their brain is more fully developed and they have had time to explore their passions.
One aspect of the Czech system that I would love to have implemented in the United States is their guaranteed acceptance of all children for preschool the last year that the child is eligible. It is statistically proven that students who attend preschool are better prepared for kindergarten than children who do not attend preschool. There are low-income families across our nation that cannot afford to send their children to preschool, and I feel that not providing the proper education to each student is aiding the cycle of poverty in our nation. Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to an education.” I believe that this includes each level of school, including preschool.
One aspect of the Czech system that I would love to have implemented in the United States is their guaranteed acceptance of all children for preschool the last year that the child is eligible. It is statistically proven that students who attend preschool are better prepared for kindergarten than children who do not attend preschool. There are low-income families across our nation that cannot afford to send their children to preschool, and I feel that not providing the proper education to each student is aiding the cycle of poverty in our nation. Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to an education.” I believe that this includes each level of school, including preschool.
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
Watching the film Milada on a Monday night after a long day isn't a good idea, because there is a 99% chance you’ll a) fall asleep on the couch, or b) look for chores to do around the house to avoid watching it.
The film Milada is a meager attempt to portray the life of an iconic woman. Milada Horakova was an activist who promoted equal rights for women as part of the Women’s National Council and an active member of the resistance against the Nazis during World War Two, yet we saw very little of her activism in this film. In fact, the first forty minutes of the film fly through fifteen years of her life, barely touching on the work that she did while working for the department of social welfare, her resistance work, or her high school involvement in peaceful anti-war protests that ended in her expulsion from school. The most exciting portion of the film was the last twenty minutes, which were filled with her trial and subsequent execution. It was disappointing getting to the end of the film and discovering that the climax would only last for about ten minutes total. Learning about Milada’s life was a great experience, but if you really want to learn about her life and activism you’ll need to do research outside of the film. |
Cultural Reflections Project 4: Czech Book Review
Someone Named Eva is a fictional novel set in Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Germany during WWII. The story follows a young girl named Milada from her hometown of Lidice through the end of the war as she battles to maintain hold of her identity in Nazi-ruled territory.
Reading this story was extremely eye-opening. The story line was based on true life experiences of individuals the author interviewed, as well as research she did. |