I'm back again.  Bill Frank and Bobbie are both right, I do not mind if you
are giveing your shells to the teachers of where you live, but do you all
do so.  This is not for me, this is for the teachers that cannot get the
shells you people that live in states that border on the 2 oceans and the
Gulf of Mexico, have no trouble getting shells.  How much do you think
Carol and teachers in states around her would like to go for a stroll on
the beach and collect shells, where she is there is no beach, and many
states in our great country do not have a beach to go to, there is no sea
water, so no seashells.  If you are giving shells to the schools near yoou,
I am only asking for a few that maybe you have left over to give Carol and
other teachers to do the very things the teachers you give to do.  Is this
asking for to much?  Carol, like all teachers is not picky, she will take
what she can get.  The big difference with Carol and other teachers is
Carol is teaching teachers to teach about seashells and sea life.  She is
not so much teaching the kids, but the teachers themselves.  To do this all
the teachers need to have some shells.  When I was growing up I did not
have a course to take in school, how many other kids are the same, some
kids donot even know that sea water is salty.  Conch-L and C.O.A. has a lot
of people, isn't this really what we are for, to help get the knowledge of
our hobby out to as many people as we can.  How about an all out blast from
all of you . not to just help Carol but any teacher that needs the help we
can give.  Dealers, where ever you send your rejects, the teachers would
love to have them and it is tax deduction for you, you will be making money
on shells that are more or less worthless to you.  Walter Sage once told me
many of the shells donated to the museum are sold by the museum because
they come with no data and cannot be used by the museum, even shells like
this teachers can use.  You might hear me bitching and hollering a lot on
this.  Do not think, yes this is a good idea, but yes do something about
it, the young fellows like James, he had to start from nothing, we are
helping him, cannot we do the same for all the other kids in the world?  I
have been to some of you peoples homes, you have bags and boxes of extra
shells sitting around doing nothing, now is the time to put them to use.
If you have shells that youlost the names to, this is O.K. the teachers
also have to learn how to I.D. shells, if they are not real clean, this is
O.K. they also have to learn how to clean them.  If you have some that the
animal is out of but not cleaned, this is great to as now a teacher can
show the childeren what the shell looked like in the water.  There is so
many, many ways be all can help the teachers, so get on with it, just do
it.  John Bernard  Tennessee   [log in to unmask]