Miranda Danku Portfolio
I am a social studies teacher at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough, NC. I have juniors and seniors, and my favorite classes to teach are American History II, AP Psychology and IB Psychology. I have three teenagers of my own, as well as four dogs, two cats and a (somewhat) domesticated husband. I love running, writing, traveling, and I am generally fascinated by people and culture.
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Cultural Connections Project 1: Global Collaborative Project (Video Synopsis)
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Cultural Connections Project 2: Scripted Duologue (GoAnimate)
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Cultural Collections Project 1: Swedish Culture Map (Google Maps)
- Training Map, NCSU, Wolves
- Sweden Map
Cultural Collections Project 2: Tour Guide (History Pin)
Cultural Collections Project 3: Swedish History (MyHistro)
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Cultural Collections Project 4: Curated Collection of Objects (Voicethread)
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https://voicethread.com/myvoice/thread/9374773/53765845
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Cultural Reflections Project 1: The Last Word, Swedish education articles
Our group picked a variety of topics regarding the articles to discuss. In our discussion, we covered a lot of territory including:
the differences in history and progress of Sweden's educational system compared with our educational system; the relationship between culture and the education and development of a child;
Our group picked a variety of topics regarding the articles to discuss. In our discussion, we covered a lot of territory including:
the differences in history and progress of Sweden's educational system compared with our educational system; the relationship between culture and the education and development of a child;
- the influence of religion and industrialization on the growth of education in Sweden and the United States;
- the relationship between education and socioeconomic status;
- the holistic and progressive approach to education in Sweden compared with the reactive, piecemeal approach to education in the United States;
- and lastly, the ownership and accountability of self-directed education.
Cultural Reflections Project 2: Swedish Book Club (GoodReads)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1979113732
Book Review: A Man Called Ove
A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman brings to life a salty old man, who – like many older people – values the practices of his generation, and he finds it difficult to adjust to the current Swedish culture. He is, for example, used to making and fixing things himself, and he cannot understand disposable IKEA culture; he is unable to figure out the nuances of the latest computer gadgetry; and he feels that society has become slack because people no longer have any respect the rules of the neighborhood. He is the silent, stubborn type – his words curt and gruff, and his relations with others fragile. The chapters hop back and forth between past and present, reflecting on Ove’s life from childhood and narrowing in on years spent growing up with his father and his marriage with gentle, nearly perfect Sonja. This backstory justifies his demeanor, and finally clarifies his repeated attempts at suicide. These attempts are consistently foiled by a new neighbor, and Ove is forced to have a relationship with the indefatigable Parvaneh, whose vivacious and outspoken personality show a cultural contrast to Ove’s reserved Swedish demeanor. She is from the Middle East, an interesting fact considering the current wave of immigrants that have flooded into Sweden from Syria.
Throughout the book, I found myself chuckling in witty but dark moments. Shame on me -- how could depression and suicide be funny? Ove’s feelings are simultaneously understandable and ridiculously irrational – all at the same time. And the circumstances surrounding his failed suicide attempts are predictable, and therefore comic. As a result, I found myself smothering giggles even as Ove is trying to kill himself… for the fourth time.
While most of Backman’s characters are endearing and lovable, many could be more refined. With the exception of Parvaneh, who seems to be the most well-developed and relatable, they are oversimplified. Backman’s characters are extreme, appearing as caricatures or prototypical stereotypes of curmudgeonly (Ove), feminine (wife), dopey (husband), naïve (Jimmy), gay (Mirsad), maternal (Parvaneh), and hipster (Anders). Even, Ove’s unspookable and loyal cat is hokey and more dog-like – riding around in the car and persistently following him everywhere. While this paints a vivid picture for us, I would have appreciated more realistic and complex characters. Interestingly, the movie does a better job with the characters and also with the ending.
I desperately hoped that Backman’s ending would not feature the predictable, inevitable death of Ove, but rather invent a creative alternative. (Spoiler Alert!) Sadly, the final chapter was Disney-esque: Ove dies peacefully, leaving a happily-ever-after tale that features a marriage, a children’s fund in Sonja’s name, and a pair of over-the-top Ove and Sonja clones. It feels ridiculously impossible. On the other hand, Backman teases you into thinking that Ove may make a dramatic personal turn-around at the end, and – although he comes to appreciate life with his neighbors – he never really does. He remains delightfully stubborn and grouchy to the end.
In addition to being entertained, I read this book, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sweden. I was a bit disappointed. The setting seems to be a universal suburb, and the description of Swedish context is somehow incomplete. It does, however, reflect two current themes of today: the issue of immigration and diversity, and the issue of socialized healthcare. Backman paints the socialized care of the elderly as negative – even spooky and Big-Brotherish. Immigration and diversity are portrayed in a much more positive light, as Parvaneh is a bright ray of sunshine and a definite asset to Ove’s community.
As annoyed as I was with some of the feeble characters, I would recommend this book. Despite translation, it is an easy read, and overall, it is entertaining and uplifting – great for the pool or the airport.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1979113732
Book Review: A Man Called Ove
A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman brings to life a salty old man, who – like many older people – values the practices of his generation, and he finds it difficult to adjust to the current Swedish culture. He is, for example, used to making and fixing things himself, and he cannot understand disposable IKEA culture; he is unable to figure out the nuances of the latest computer gadgetry; and he feels that society has become slack because people no longer have any respect the rules of the neighborhood. He is the silent, stubborn type – his words curt and gruff, and his relations with others fragile. The chapters hop back and forth between past and present, reflecting on Ove’s life from childhood and narrowing in on years spent growing up with his father and his marriage with gentle, nearly perfect Sonja. This backstory justifies his demeanor, and finally clarifies his repeated attempts at suicide. These attempts are consistently foiled by a new neighbor, and Ove is forced to have a relationship with the indefatigable Parvaneh, whose vivacious and outspoken personality show a cultural contrast to Ove’s reserved Swedish demeanor. She is from the Middle East, an interesting fact considering the current wave of immigrants that have flooded into Sweden from Syria.
Throughout the book, I found myself chuckling in witty but dark moments. Shame on me -- how could depression and suicide be funny? Ove’s feelings are simultaneously understandable and ridiculously irrational – all at the same time. And the circumstances surrounding his failed suicide attempts are predictable, and therefore comic. As a result, I found myself smothering giggles even as Ove is trying to kill himself… for the fourth time.
While most of Backman’s characters are endearing and lovable, many could be more refined. With the exception of Parvaneh, who seems to be the most well-developed and relatable, they are oversimplified. Backman’s characters are extreme, appearing as caricatures or prototypical stereotypes of curmudgeonly (Ove), feminine (wife), dopey (husband), naïve (Jimmy), gay (Mirsad), maternal (Parvaneh), and hipster (Anders). Even, Ove’s unspookable and loyal cat is hokey and more dog-like – riding around in the car and persistently following him everywhere. While this paints a vivid picture for us, I would have appreciated more realistic and complex characters. Interestingly, the movie does a better job with the characters and also with the ending.
I desperately hoped that Backman’s ending would not feature the predictable, inevitable death of Ove, but rather invent a creative alternative. (Spoiler Alert!) Sadly, the final chapter was Disney-esque: Ove dies peacefully, leaving a happily-ever-after tale that features a marriage, a children’s fund in Sonja’s name, and a pair of over-the-top Ove and Sonja clones. It feels ridiculously impossible. On the other hand, Backman teases you into thinking that Ove may make a dramatic personal turn-around at the end, and – although he comes to appreciate life with his neighbors – he never really does. He remains delightfully stubborn and grouchy to the end.
In addition to being entertained, I read this book, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sweden. I was a bit disappointed. The setting seems to be a universal suburb, and the description of Swedish context is somehow incomplete. It does, however, reflect two current themes of today: the issue of immigration and diversity, and the issue of socialized healthcare. Backman paints the socialized care of the elderly as negative – even spooky and Big-Brotherish. Immigration and diversity are portrayed in a much more positive light, as Parvaneh is a bright ray of sunshine and a definite asset to Ove’s community.
As annoyed as I was with some of the feeble characters, I would recommend this book. Despite translation, it is an easy read, and overall, it is entertaining and uplifting – great for the pool or the airport.
Cultural Reflections Project 3: Travel Writing (Blog)
file:///C:/Users/miranda.danku/Documents/Sweden/Travel%20blog%20Tallinn.pdf
file:///C:/Users/miranda.danku/Documents/Sweden/Travel%20blog%20Tallinn.pdf
travel_blog_tallinn.pdf |
Cultural Reflections Project 5: Impressions of Sweden (Meme Generator)