Scraps of Thought from a Scrappy Gal

Helen Wheales

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Why I Write

To share my perspective; To be heard; To hear my voice; To think; To know; To communicate; To educate; To exercise my citizenship; To worship; To share my gifts. To be.

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On Pandora, ‘The Giver of Gifts”

Nothing shifts my mood like music–my favorite music.  This morning  I settled in to my seat to finish off some grading in a less-than enthusiastic state. Sigh… another day, another round of student writers to coach. I sign on to Pandora, an automated Internet music site, then toggle back to the student-essay file. Named after the Greek goddess who [...]

Lament for the Lost Library

Growing up, I spent a lot of time in my neighborhood branch of the Toledo Lucas-County Public Library. Sometimes I’d wander there alone and read for a few hours. Other times I’d go with friends, or meet them to do homework at one of the community tables. The librarians–the Silence Police–would make their rounds, shushing anyone who talked [...]

The Power of the Pen

I stopped in Borders today with no intention of grabbing anything in particular. When my son wandered over to the Young Adult table, I decided to  look for a couple of texts that were on my Christmas list, but didn’t show up under my tree…and none were available in store. So, I ended up picking [...]

Helen and Katie: Facebook Friends?

Today, Facebook recommended that I befriend  CBS anchor Katie Couric. Intrigued at what connection she and I might share, I traveled to her page, where I read a wall-page of posts and comments, most of which promoted her television and her advertiser-supported online interviews at @katiecouric.com. This led me to her online interview yesterday with [...]

Holiday Fun

I’m afraid I’ve not much time for blogging today…celebrating Mother’s Day and grading portfolios and figuring final grades keeps me from this calling. (Funny how the two cancel each other out, no? How can I celebrate AND grade!?!?) Know that once all this grading is done and the semester winds to its fateful end, my [...]