As an elementary teacher of 12 years, I count my last two years at Downtown Elementary as some of my greatest. The motto of our very unique Title One school is, “We Rise Above the Rest”. My students truly believe we are the best school in the district and their enthusiasm for participation and quality proves this so.

My position as the sole full time music teacher at Downtown Elementary allows me the privilege to teach every single child who is enrolled. I see each of their faces, each of their progressions and each of their struggles, every week. Their appetite for learning is voracious but as young students, their dispositions give way to short attention spans.

Though every classroom at Downtown Elementary has been graciously equipped with updates smartboards, not every teacher has been given the technology that allows them to use these valuable smartboards. I am one of these teachers. My 6 year old computer is no longer equipped with the technology my smartboard, and students for that matter, need to take full advantage of the technology we have been given. Of the 55 minutes a week I am allowed to share the love for music, culture and arts with my students, a quarter of that precious time is spent loading a singular image. As these lost minutes pass, their attention is diverted, and inevitably so is their passion to learn for the day. Without compatible technology, I cannot use my smartboard, I cannot effectively plan a lesson, I cannot even use the sound jack to stream sound from sites, games or video clips. Plainly said, our students are missing out on the amazing resources for music education, simply because our classroom computer is just too old.

I am asking you, our passionate supporters, for the funds to purchase a new iMac Desktop Computer for the school’s one and only music classroom. With this new laptop, our students will be gifted the opportunity to interact with the music in brand new ways. Our eager scholars can begin to compose and create music of their very own. They will be able to physically touch their music lesson on the smartboard and have everything being taught displayed for all to see. Simple applications such as Garage Band, Power Point, iPhoto and iMovie that are being used in real world music situations, will be at our disposal for the relevant education our 21st century children need. This gift would make music literally come alive for my students.

Our students at Downtown Elementary are achievers. They are in the TOP 5% of the state of Tennessee for achievement. As a body of scholars, we don’t take our mission to excel lightly. With your generous donation of this necessary equipment, our efforts to guide every student into a passion for learning will not just be supported, but become tangible.

Please consider giving to the cause, it will change the future of every student in our school!

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