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Hello,

I am a single mother of two children. I am also a third grade teacher. I am in need of a personal loan for $2,500. I recently had to move because the home I was renting for the past 4 years was foreclosed on because of the landlords' financial problems. As a result of these moving expenses, child related expenses, and an unexpected car repair, I have fallen behind on my bills.
 

*****I have a steady income so I do not want a hand-out. I will repay this loan with interest. I am even willing to set up automatic payments from my checking account to prove that I am "good" for the money.*****
 

If you need to speak with me furthur or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me....Thank You.

I am a highly-educated and intelligent woman of 40.  I have been a teacher for the last 14 years and have recently become burdened with debt, the result of an unexpected break of engagement.  Additionally, last year's school schedule changed, as did our paychecks (went from 12 checks per year to 10).  Because of my debt, saving for the summer was nearly impossible.

Though paying my debts down would be ideal, my immediate need is to get through the summer.  I have a little money saved, as well as a summer job, but it isn't going to completely cover the gap (for rent, utilities, groceries; basic living expenses).  I am therefore asking anyone for help totaling approximately $6,000, just to get me through until October,when I will be receiving my first paycheck of the school year.  I welcome any help anyone can provide.  Thank you for reading and hopefully, understanding and helping.

Hello, I am a grandma raising my 6 yr old gr. daughter alone & without help from her mother who abandoned her 3 yrs ago or my son her father. I teach SB & ED adol. boys at a non-profit co. we prev. worked year round but were told 1 week ago we would not be

I'm a high school teacher and coach in San Diego.  Our school has been desiginated a "Low-Income" school by the U.S. Dept. of Ed. and it has become increasingly hard to raise funds for much needed athletic equipment for our Track & Field and Cross Country programs.  Curently, we serve over 150 athletes in Cross Country and over 200 athletes in Track & Field.  Our programs are in need of replacing our outdated and highly used High Jump equipment and team uniforms, purchasing presently Non-Existant Pole Vault equipment, and aquiring a state-of-the-art electronic timing system so we can hold regular track meets and begin to hold invitational track meets to generate our own sources of income.  Any ammounts given to our program will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and God Bless

I am currently going to college to get a degree in Early Childhood Education specializing in Science. I also have a daughter who will be starting college next summer. Right now I am surviving on Student loans. I am a mother with 4 children. I need help. I have been in school only since December and now have a loan of 36000.00, This is too much for me. I need a way to pay that back and to pay for me to finish college. I am also looking for a way to help my daughter fulfill her dream of going into graphic design. She is finishing school early because she has her credits. She is an honors student 9th in a class of 166. Her schooling is going to cost ruffly $25000 a year. With two of us in college it will be hard on my and the children financially. If you can help or know what I can do please let me know. Thanks Jennifer Ardis

The following is a sampling of some great lesson plans found on

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/

"A caterpillar's clever con game. I'm Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.

Some fish, birds, and bugs trick other species into raising their young. Now, scientists have figured out how a European caterpillar takes this a step further: they invade ant colonies, and get treated even better than the actual ant larvae. Oxford University ecologist Jeremy Thomas says this is especially clear when food runs short.

Thomas:
So you actually get the bizarre situation of the ants cutting up their own small ant grubs and feeding them to these caterpillars.

Using tiny microphones and speakers, Thomas and his colleagues discovered that the caterpillars make sounds with their abdomens that mimic those of a queen ant. When the scientists played back recordings of caterpillars to worker ants, the ants showed protective behavior normally reserved for guarding the queen. I'm Bob Hirshon for AAAS, the Science Society.

Making Sense of the Research

In a recent episode of the popular TV crime series “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” a young woman shows up on the doorstep of an astonished couple, claiming to be their long-missing daughter. It turns out that the woman is a total stranger and a con artist, seeking attention and affection from her supposed “family.”

This situation is pretty far-fetched for humans, but in some animal species, it's common practice. Several kinds of birds and insects infiltrate other species' nests and reap the benefits of its care, at the expense of the swindled parents' actual offspring. This is a form of behavior called social parasitism: the invading species lives at the host's expense, just like a biological parasite steals food and energy from its host, except a social parasite does so through social rather than biological means.

Sometimes, a social parasite simply takes an undeserved share of the foster parents' food and protection. More often, it actively hogs the resources: for example, a bird called the cowbird lays its eggs in the nests of smaller birds, so that when the cowbird hatches, it can muscle its stepbrothers and stepsisters out of the way at feeding time. Cuckoos, another social parasite, eliminate competition altogether by hatching sooner than their host family's chicks, and instinctually pushing all the other eggs out of the nest.

The caterpillars in this study turn into lovely Alcon blue butterflies, but as you heard, they grow up under devastatingly false pretenses. Scientists already knew that although the caterpillars grow to be much larger than ant larvae, their heads resemble ant heads, and more importantly, they release chemicals that resemble those of the ants they parasitize. (Ants communicate mainly through odor-like chemical signals.)

While this explained how the ants accepted the caterpillars as one of their own, it didn't explain why the ants gave the caterpillars the royal treatment (literally, as it turns out). Unlike cuckoos or cowbirds, caterpillars didn't actively push aside their competition; the worker ants simply gave the caterpillars priority on their own. The scientists' discovery had two key components: first, the caterpillars made queen-like sounds, and second, recordings of those caterpillar sounds made the ants behave in ways they usually behave around the queen ant. So, it seems that the caterpillars use several different methods to infiltrate the ant nests and enjoy a privileged upbringing.

Social parasitism may seem like a free lunch, but it's actually very risky, kind of like spying is for people. If an impostor species is found out, it's probably curtains: for example, some songbirds recognize cuckoo and cowbird eggs and kick them out of the nests before they hatch. It's not clear why some species learn to fight social parasites while others don't. As for why this caterpillar goes to such lengths to infiltrate ant societies, Thomas says that the protection and nourishment that ant nest affords must be far better than anything butterflies could construct on their own. And since successful caterpillars live under ant care for more than a year, the con game seems to have a worthwhile payoff.

Now try and answer these questions:

1. What is a social parasite? In what way do these caterpillars practice social parasitism?
   
2. What strategies have the caterpillars developed to get accepted and pampered by the worker ants?
   
3. Social parasites can successfully pass themselves off as another species' offspring, despite obvious physical differences (for example, larger size). What does this say about differences between how animals and people perceive the world? "
   

Free resources and lesson plans for teachers and home schoolers provided by Verizon.org.

http://www.thinkfinity.org/home.aspx

An online charity connecting donors w/teachers and classrooms in need

http://www.donorschoose.org/homepage/main.html?zone=102

My boyfriend of the last 3 years is going to be deported from the US in 5 months. We can't find a way to continue funding for his college studies. We have saved some but are far short of the required amount immigration requires. You can read the whole story in his own words at http://www.putsweediethrucollege.com/.

I thank you for your time.

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I recently graduated from graduate school and have a loan debt of $103,000.  I am in public education which does not pay great.  I feel that I have been called to serve children.  I have earned a doctorate in education and use it on a daily basis to help needy children.  My family is in crisis mode.  We are going to be forced to move away from the rural area where we serve to find higher pay.  The children here need my wife (is a teacher) and I.  Please help us stay here in rural Tennessee where we can serve children who really need good educators.  Please email me if you can help gardenhourc@k12tn.net.

I am a single mother. I work full time as a public school teacher. My ex-husband has never paid support. We have gone to court numerous times, but it always gets postphoned. I am doing my best to raise my 2 sons. I would love to give them anything. I barely get by. I make just enough to pay the rent and bills. Groceries are rare. I make to much to qualify for any federal assistance, but not enough to live on. Please help.

hkknh@yahoo.com

Hi,

I am in need of financial help! This is extremely difficult and embarrassing for me to ask for help, but I don't know where else to turn. My whole family is struggling and they have helped all that they can. I am a full-time 4th grade teacher. I teach 4 adult technology classes two nights a week and also work at a gym the rest of the time that I have left. I am a couple thousand dollars behind on my basic bills at this time and every month it just gets worse. I am not lazy, I do not pity myself, for I am very fortunate for what I do have. Though I am struggling, I know that I am luckier than many. I am just scared and I don't want my situation to become worse. I have outstanding debts on credit and student loans already. I am just wanting help for the basics right now (utilities, transportation, rent, food). Because I am single, have no kids, and have a job(s), it is even more difficult to find support in my community. I am very proud to be a teacher, but I feel that as a respected leader in my community I am failing to demonstrate to my students how to be responsible and independent. I have always taken care of myself since I was a teenager and never depended on anyone, not even my parents. Now, I have no choice. Can you help me?

I need help for Christmas! 

     I am a teacher and I qualify for food stamps! It is a sad thing to me to work so hard to get my degree and now every day is a full day of work teaching and caring for 30 students and I don't have enough money for my family! My kids all need winter shoes and coats and I come up short of money  each month for just the normal things. I have 5 kids and I feel really desperate. I don't know what to do to give them anything at all this year. I have two 13 year old girls, an 11 year old girl, a 9 year old girl and a 7 year old boy. 

   I've never had to ask for help before, this year is just so hard.