Articles written by Patricia Rockwell

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About me - Patricia Rockwell

I am recently retired from over 40 years of teaching Communication at various colleges and universities around the country. My husband is retired from teaching English and also from the Air Force. We live with our ultra-sophisticated Pomeranian Coquette in

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Entertainment > Characters & Personalities Who is your favorite character from the Days of Our Lives and why?: 2 of 8

The most intriguing character on Days of Our Lives is the sophisticated and debonair E. J. DiMera played by James Scott There are several reasons I have chosen this character as my favorite: 1) he is male, 2) he is gorgeous, 3) he has an accent, 4) he is multi-dimensional, and 5) he is portrayed by an amazing actor. First, h...
Arts & Humanities > Theater & Drama How to direct a musical: 1 of 4

I cannot imagine anything quite so challenging or creative or thoroughly exciting as having the opportunity to direct a musical (well, maybe being President). Assuming you have volunteered or have been asked or have discovered it's part of your job to direct a musical, you can do it. I did for over ten years and I loved ever...
Arts & Humanities > Writing at Helium Plagiarizing vs. citing sources from Wikipedia: 1 of 4

Plagiarism is an academic crime. Most college professors penalize students who plagiarize any portion of their written work with a failing grade for the assignment or worse. Understanding plagiarism is simple; any time you use the specific words or ideas from a published source without giving credit to that source, you are p...
Education > Education (Other) Should public school children wear uniforms?: 13 of 39

I taught in a high school for four years and I have two children who went through the public school system, so I have extensive experience with the arguments for (and against) public school students wearing uniforms. Although there are some solid reasons for requiring students in public schools to wear uniforms (such as decr...
Education > Financing College Is the cost of college textbooks too high?: 2 of 6

As a college instructor of over forty years, I answer a resounding "yes" to this question. In my many years of teaching I have seen the money that students spend on textbooks increase faster than the cost of tuition at virtually every institution where I have taught. Students may think that faculty members are not concerned ...
Education > College Life Conversations to have with your College Bound Teens: 1 of 3

I have had two children graduate from college (one recently) and I also spent over forty years teaching in colleges of different sizes, so I believe I am well qualified to give advice to parents who are about to send their teens off to college. I know what parents feel, but I also know what faculty members expect of those in...
Education > Educational Philosophy Is it better for schools to be rigorous or nurturing?: 16 of 32

In answering the question of whether it is better for schools to be rigorous or nurturing, I would argue that school systems should reflect the degree of rigor that students will encounter at each moment in their lives. Although I spent many years teaching at the college level, both of my children made it through the public ...
Business > Leadership Strategies Using your voice effectively in presentations: 4 of 8

If you're male, your voice will have a lower pitch than most of your female friends. If you are very slender, you will probably not have as much vocal resonance as someone with a larger chest cavity. But don't despair. There are many features of your voice that you can change with a little practice and if you are going to be...
Relationships & Family > Communication Skills Communication skills: Artifactual communication: 1 of 2

The Japanese lady, dressed in a formal kimono, gracefully lifts the delicate porcelain tea pot and carefully pours the fragrant liquid into two small cups. She hasn't said a word, yet, she has communicated a potent message through the use of artifacts. Anthropologist Edward T. Hall noted that the Japanese were a high-context...
Arts & Humanities > Business of Writing (Other) Should faculty sell complementary copies to book resellers?: 1 of 2

During my over forty years of college teaching there were times when I resold complimentary copies of textbooks and times when I didn't. For me, it was primarily an ethical issue, but not always one that was easy to determine. Before this question can be fairly answered, several additional pieces of information must be obtai...