Sarah Tronic's Portfolio Page
I am the library media coordinator at Rand Road Elementary in Wake County. I teach K-5 students, am the sponsor of our World Explorers Club, member of our equity team, and chair of our Media Technology Advisory Committee and Specialists team. Obviously, I enjoy reading and literacy, but I am also passionate about science and social studies.
In my spare time, I try to travel when I can. Most of the time, my trips are in the United States to see friends and family. Some places that I hope to visit one day are New Zealand, Poland, Japan, and the Galapagos Islands. I also attempt to crochet and am trying to learn to sew, which will probably never be my greatest strength. Like everyone with a dog, I am convinced that my dog, Jacques, is the best dog, but that is because he is. |
PROJECTS:
Cultural Connections Project 1: Two Travel Writing Pieces
Cultural Connections Project 2: Scripted Duologue (Plotagon Animation)
Cultural Collections Project 1: Mapping Cultural Themes (Clio)
The Farewell Memorial was unveiled in May 2017 and is a memorial to the parents who sent their children, mostly Jewish, to England in 1939 with the help of Sir Nicholas Winton. The memorial is an expression of thanks from the children to their parents, most of whom did not survive the Holocaust. Designed to look like a train door from that era, the memorial shows the hands of the children and their parents saying farewell. Beside the memorial, is a plaque explaining the memorial in Czech and English, from the surviving children known as Winton children.
In late 1938, as the Nazis were advancing across Europe, Nicholas Winton, a British citizen, arrived in Prague to help with the transport of Jewish children out of Prague and Czechoslovakia known as the kindertransport. Winton, with the help of others, was able to successfully arrange for the evacuation of 669 children to Britain. Great Britain had approved the entry of refugees younger than seventeen as long as they had a place to stay and a 50 pound deposit. The main obstacle facing Winton was getting the children across the Netherlands which was no longer allowing Jewish refugees entry. Once Winton was able to secure passage across the Netherlands, the transport went smoothly. The memorial is located in Praha hlavní nádraží which is the main train station in Prague. It is the site where many of these farewells took place. The memorial is on the lower level of the historic building on the way to the train platforms. Jan Hunat, a Czech glassmaker, created the glass for the memorial. In June 2019 the memorial was vandalized and a large crack now stretches across the window damaging some of the fingers. The culprit and motivation remain unknown, although Jan Hunat, believed that the damage was intentional and was done using a hammer. There was also speculation that the motive was anti-semitism. |
|
Cultural Collections Project 2: Curating Cultural Themes (Padlet)
Cultural Collections Project 3: Neighborhood Analysis (Weebly Slide Show)
Vysherad Neighborhood Analyses
Vysherad is located south of Old town Prague and is part of Prague 2. To get there, we took the metro C line to the Vysherad stop. Immediately upon exiting the metro station, we were in what appeared to be a business park and was very reminiscent of what might be seen in RTP. In fact, SAS had a large building and there was also a large Holiday Inn and some restaurants/cafes. However, the neighborhood quickly became residential as we moved away from the metro stop.
Interestingly, the initial residential buildings seemed to potentially be single family homes. They were very large and gated and some had terra cotta tile roofs The cars on the street were also very nice like Mercedes. However, the more I looked, the more I thought that although they were not traditional apartment buildings, they were not, in fact, single family homes. The gates outside seemed to have buzzers for multiple families. In addition to these large house like residences, there were also more traditional apartment buildings with businesses on the ground floor, especially in the area of the neighborhood which was lower and closer to the river. In many of these buildings people seemed to live in apartments on the upper floors and their were businesses below. We could tell the upper floors were residential because laundry was hung out windows to air out and dry.
The neighborhood seemed very family oriented. One house/multiple family residence had a large playground structure out front. We also saw multiple families walking through the neighborhood with strollers or carrying babies. Additionally, there were tennis courts and what looked like a large park area with a great deal of green space. We also saw multiple trash cans and recycling bins.
Not only was the neighborhood family friendly, it was also dog friendly. We heard and saw many dogs while we were there and one business even had a water bowl out for the dog patrons. We also saw many dogs at restaurants and cafes.
A central aspect of the neighborhood is the Vysehrad Fortress which consists of park area, cafes, the Basilica of Sts Peter and Paul, and a cemetary. The fortress is atop a hill and overlooks the river and the rest of the neighborhood. It is a very peaceful area and adds additional green space, walking trails and restaurants and cafes to the neighborhood.
Overall the neighborhood seemed quiet. It was a Thursday in the middle of the day, so that might have contributed to the peaceful nature of the area. However, there did not seem to be as many restaurants or shops as in other areas we have visited and it felt very residential.
Vysherad is located south of Old town Prague and is part of Prague 2. To get there, we took the metro C line to the Vysherad stop. Immediately upon exiting the metro station, we were in what appeared to be a business park and was very reminiscent of what might be seen in RTP. In fact, SAS had a large building and there was also a large Holiday Inn and some restaurants/cafes. However, the neighborhood quickly became residential as we moved away from the metro stop.
Interestingly, the initial residential buildings seemed to potentially be single family homes. They were very large and gated and some had terra cotta tile roofs The cars on the street were also very nice like Mercedes. However, the more I looked, the more I thought that although they were not traditional apartment buildings, they were not, in fact, single family homes. The gates outside seemed to have buzzers for multiple families. In addition to these large house like residences, there were also more traditional apartment buildings with businesses on the ground floor, especially in the area of the neighborhood which was lower and closer to the river. In many of these buildings people seemed to live in apartments on the upper floors and their were businesses below. We could tell the upper floors were residential because laundry was hung out windows to air out and dry.
The neighborhood seemed very family oriented. One house/multiple family residence had a large playground structure out front. We also saw multiple families walking through the neighborhood with strollers or carrying babies. Additionally, there were tennis courts and what looked like a large park area with a great deal of green space. We also saw multiple trash cans and recycling bins.
Not only was the neighborhood family friendly, it was also dog friendly. We heard and saw many dogs while we were there and one business even had a water bowl out for the dog patrons. We also saw many dogs at restaurants and cafes.
A central aspect of the neighborhood is the Vysehrad Fortress which consists of park area, cafes, the Basilica of Sts Peter and Paul, and a cemetary. The fortress is atop a hill and overlooks the river and the rest of the neighborhood. It is a very peaceful area and adds additional green space, walking trails and restaurants and cafes to the neighborhood.
Overall the neighborhood seemed quiet. It was a Thursday in the middle of the day, so that might have contributed to the peaceful nature of the area. However, there did not seem to be as many restaurants or shops as in other areas we have visited and it felt very residential.
Cultural Collections Project 4: Museum Artifact Analysis (Voicethread)
Cultural Reflections Project 1: Czech Education System, "The Last Word" Discussion
I always enjoy learning about education in other states and countries. While I think that the teachers in my school do a great job, I always want to learn about other places so that I can help us improve. I was struck by the fact that there are similarities between the Czech education system and our own. Not all of them were positive, but it was interesting to note that many of the struggles we have, they also have despite their very different population and history.
Maybe because it has been discussed a great deal recently and a major part of my facebook feed, but I was disheartened to see that Czech teachers were underpaid compared to other professionals. They also seemed to lack professional development, which luckily is not a problem we have here. However, like here, young people are not interested in teaching as a profession because of the low income and lack of support.
Another aspect of their education system that surprised me was that studies have shown that socioeconomic status is an indicator of educational success and that they have therefor begun pro-inclusive work to help bridge the gaps between students. I naively hoped that other countries were not dealing with the same kind of equity issues that we have here. Clearly, especially when it comes to the Roma children, the Czech Republic does grapple with equity. While at first, I thought it was strange that they label socioeconomic status a disability in reality it is not all that different from us using free and reduced lunch numbers to determine Title 1 funding. We do not lump as many students into one category called disability, but we certainly identify students as swd, aig, free and reduced lunch and by race.
One part of their system that I felt was something we should do more of, was the availability of vocational upper secondary schools. I have a liberal arts undergraduate degree, not education, because I am a strong believer in the importance of learning about many subjects, but just because that is important to me, does not mean that it is what is best for everyone. I wish more of our high school students, especially those that do not enjoy school, were given the opportunity to have vocational training. I know a few teenagers who have had to graduate from school and then start apprenticeships or who must work after school to get the training they want for the careers they want. This seems like a waste of time and potentially a waste of educational motivation.
I am interested in knowing more of what a typical day in a Czech school is like. While there are obvious differences in schools throughout the United States, my niece in Oregon and my cousins in Massachusetts all have music and pe and library as specials in their elementary school and have recess and lunch as part of their elementary school day. Any of them could come to my school and adapt very quickly. Is the school day similar in the Czech Republic? One article mentioned that at what we would consider the elementary level students have twenty-two to twenty-five lessons a week and they are about forty-five minutes long. Are these all taught by the same teacher? Do they have specials? Do classrooms have ipads and chrome books? Do kindergarten classrooms have toy kitchens and dress up boxes for creative play? I would just like to see what a typical day is like.
Maybe because it has been discussed a great deal recently and a major part of my facebook feed, but I was disheartened to see that Czech teachers were underpaid compared to other professionals. They also seemed to lack professional development, which luckily is not a problem we have here. However, like here, young people are not interested in teaching as a profession because of the low income and lack of support.
Another aspect of their education system that surprised me was that studies have shown that socioeconomic status is an indicator of educational success and that they have therefor begun pro-inclusive work to help bridge the gaps between students. I naively hoped that other countries were not dealing with the same kind of equity issues that we have here. Clearly, especially when it comes to the Roma children, the Czech Republic does grapple with equity. While at first, I thought it was strange that they label socioeconomic status a disability in reality it is not all that different from us using free and reduced lunch numbers to determine Title 1 funding. We do not lump as many students into one category called disability, but we certainly identify students as swd, aig, free and reduced lunch and by race.
One part of their system that I felt was something we should do more of, was the availability of vocational upper secondary schools. I have a liberal arts undergraduate degree, not education, because I am a strong believer in the importance of learning about many subjects, but just because that is important to me, does not mean that it is what is best for everyone. I wish more of our high school students, especially those that do not enjoy school, were given the opportunity to have vocational training. I know a few teenagers who have had to graduate from school and then start apprenticeships or who must work after school to get the training they want for the careers they want. This seems like a waste of time and potentially a waste of educational motivation.
I am interested in knowing more of what a typical day in a Czech school is like. While there are obvious differences in schools throughout the United States, my niece in Oregon and my cousins in Massachusetts all have music and pe and library as specials in their elementary school and have recess and lunch as part of their elementary school day. Any of them could come to my school and adapt very quickly. Is the school day similar in the Czech Republic? One article mentioned that at what we would consider the elementary level students have twenty-two to twenty-five lessons a week and they are about forty-five minutes long. Are these all taught by the same teacher? Do they have specials? Do classrooms have ipads and chrome books? Do kindergarten classrooms have toy kitchens and dress up boxes for creative play? I would just like to see what a typical day is like.
Cultural Reflections Project 2: Cultural Writing
Cultural Reflections Project 3: Czech Film Review
Anthropoid, a movie based on the World War II operation of the same name, while informative about a relatively unknown piece of history, is difficult to watch. The film recounts the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich by Czechoslovakian operatives Josef Gabcik and Jan Kubis. In order to be as accurate as possible, it was filmed in Prague and follows the months of planning, actual assassination, and aftermath of the operation. The decision to film in as many of the actual locations as possible lends gravity to the film and allows the viewer to truly feel immersed in World War II Prague. Cillian Murphy, as Josef Gabcik, presents a singularly focused but complex man intent on carrying out his mission.
However, overall the film lacks the strength of other World War II era films like Saving Private Ryan or Schindler’s List . The first hour, which details much of the planning and conflict within the Czech resistance, is slow and feels almost contrived. The suspense increases as the assassination is attempted and the movie begins to draw the viewer in. Nonetheless, the subject matter, which includes the extreme brutality and retaliatory nature of the Nazi regime, is, obviously, oppressive to watch. It is the kind of film that you want to finish simply to know what happened, but that you don’t have any interest in watching again. |
Cultural Reflections Project 4: Czech Book Review
When I began this book I thought I had made a mistake. I had to reread the first two chapters in order to grasp the philosophical concepts they detail. As I slogged on and the characters and plot began to take shape, I still wasn’t convinced I was enjoying what I read. At first the characters: Tomas a womanizing surgeon, Tereza his codependent wife, Sabine his artist mistress, and Sabine’s lover Franz, were not relatable. I didn’t care for any of them and they felt like caricatures, so reading about them was arduous. I truthfully only continued because I had to for a class and was going to Prague, where much of the book takes place.
I am glad, however, that I didn’t give up. If you can accept the characters as vessels for the authors ponderings on humanity and existence, the book becomes more enjoyable. I do not claim to fully understand all of Kundera’s meaning, but my initial dislike for the characters gradually changed into understanding. My annoyance at the interspersed philosophy was overtaken by its thought-provoking nature. The book is broken up into seven sections that transition between the characters and settings, and often begin with insights from the narrator. The final section takes place in the Czech countryside. It centers around Karenin, the dog of Tereza and Tomas, and was by far my favorite part. It was in this section that I could most understand Kundera as narrator and author. The dislike bordering on contempt I had felt for the character of Tereza morphed into empathy. This is not an easy read. The plot isn’t linear. The narrator intersperses historical events and philosophy into the otherwise third person story, and the characters are not instantly relatable or even likeable. However, the prose is beautiful and sometimes haunting. By about page 50, you will want to keep reading, even if you are not entirely sure why. It is a book that makes you reflect on life and love and while it made me incredibly sad at times, I found the end uplifting. I would read more by Kundera. |