This teacher needs your help!

Mr. B. from Durham, NC is requesting other through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mr. B. is requesting

Fully Funded

Mr. B.'s classroom raised $448

Good Singers Don't Sit On The Floor!

My students need 20 Stax stools.

Mr. B. Merrick - Moore Elementary School

Durham, NC Grades 3-5

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My music program desperately needs to be lifted off the floor and you can help! I currently teach elementary school music in North Carolina at a facility that serves over 750 students. Every student in my school is fortunate enough to have an enriching arts education as we offer music, dance, and visual art among other special area classes like physical education and technology. Our school is a Title 1 School with over 70% of our population receiving free or reduced lunch. As our funding is limited, there are very few resources I can consult to get the equipment I am requesting.

Here's the story: Singing is a vital and incredible part of the elementary music curriculum. As you may or may not know the engine of all singing is our own breath; the air that sustains us. In the developmental stages of elementary school it is very important that students learn to utilize and control their breath to be effective singers and speakers. However, in my classroom there are no chairs. So, even with pristine posture it is difficult to fully utilize our lungs, our breath, and our singing voices while sitting on the floor. Believe me I have tried! Aside from these fundamental problems there are many logistic problems that arise. If a class goes to the play ground in the middle of the day or morning and gets mud on their shoes then it is tracked into my room. Unfortunately the floor is also the learning space, so the classes that I see for the remainder of the day must contend with mud/dirt being on the floor where they are sitting. Also, I have considered using regular classroom chairs but that presents another issue. Because we also dance and move freely throughout the room we need chairs that are light, stack quickly, and once stacked don't occupy a ton of space.

Having light stackable stools would solve an innate problem that singing while sitting on the floor presents. Posture would be corrected, (the thought alone makes me smile) singing would be easier, and students would be learning the proper way to control and utilize their breath. In addition, students would not be forced to sit on the floor during class. Imagine, if you will, 27 large 5th graders awkwardly sitting on the floor trying to sit criss-cross applesauce but being very uncomfortable….it’s pathetic looking. Not to mention it makes everything they attempt to do with their voices very difficult because their lungs and their diaphragms are squished and restricted. These stools would also be easy to move and occupy a marginal amount of space when they are being stored during other activities.

There are so many ways that the help you provide can impact a ton of children: the 750 students enrolled at my school, the 26 Pre-K students that I teach, and even the 35 members of my after school chorus. You would be playing an integral part in securing excellent musical technique, contributing to a feeling of worth that not sitting on the floor will provide, and even helping to make the hands of an entire elementary school a little cleaner. That is what makes this project so important....it will impact an entire school!

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Nearly all students from low‑income households

775 students impacted 6 donors

Project tagged as

Durham, NC
Grades 3-5
Music
Music
Traditional School
Other
Nearly all students from low‑income households

Mr. B. Merrick - Moore Elementary School Grades 3-5

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Durham, NC View local requests

Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

775 students impacted 6donors

Boost your odds

Add a profile photo in addition to your classroom photo. If you add a photo, it'll show up right here on your project page.

You are more likely to receive funding if you put a face to your name.

Upload a photo

Top rated for efficiency and transparency.

You donate directly to the teacher or project you care about and see where every dollar you give goes.

Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mr. B. is requesting.

See our finances

TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

You can start a project with the same resources being requested here!

Copy this cart

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total

Stax Stool • SchoolOutfitters.com $14.99 20 $299.80

Materials cost			$299.80
Vendor shipping charges			$29.98
Sales tax			$12.74
3rd party payment processing fee			$7.50
Fulfillment labor & materials			$17.00
Total project cost			$367.00
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms			$80.56
Total project goal			$447.56
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal			$447.56
6 Donors			-$431.76
Donations toward project cost			-$367.00
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms			-$64.76
Excluded support for DonorsChoose			-$15.80
Still needed View calculation Hide calculation			$0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

View complete list Show less

Project Activity

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. B. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

See how DonorsChoose works

{"pmaHash":"","showProjectRecommendations":true,"leadGenEnabled":false,"hideTeacherDetails":false,"schoolState":"NC","teacherPossessivePronoun":"his","PMsManager":null,"schoolGradeType":{"id":2,"name":"Elementary School"},"TeacherPMForms":{},"completingDonationAmount":0,"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":false,"proposalURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/project/good-singers-dont-sit-on-the-floor/216960/","mayHaveReplacements":false,"numStudents":775,"isEquityFocusV1":true,"teacherScreenName":"Mr. B.","isEquityFocus":true,"proposalHash":"-1893260761","isApplePayMobileOnly":true,"progressBarPercentage":100.00,"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"photosPublished":true,"queryString":"","DonorPMForm":null,"shouldTrackEquityFocusV2":true,"schoolCity":"Durham","teachersOnPage":[255763],"isTeacherViewingTheirOwnProject":false,"minimizedLeadGenEnabled":false,"proposalId":216960,"proposalMessageFormModel":null,"numActiveProjects":0,"verifyShowPhotos":"","eligibleToBeCopied":false,"schoolId":1452,"schoolName":"Merrick - Moore Elementary School","authorIds":{"255763":{"owner":"Mr. B.","donationSalutations":{}}},"displayedPercentFunded":1.0,"proposalsOnPage":[216960],"pmaId":"","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherHasProfilePhoto":false,"currentWorkflowStatusCode":21,"teacherChallengeId":180627,"isApplePayEnabled":true,"fundedByTarget":false,"activeProject":null,"donorIdsForImpactPhotoCheck":["MjYyNjQ4","MjYyNjcx","MjYyNzIy","MjYzMTk5","MjYyNjU1","MjYzMDc4"],"teacherId":255763,"schoolCounty":"Durham","fullyFunded":true,"isStudentLed":false,"isExpired":true,"schoolStateObj":{"code":"NC","name":"North Carolina"}}

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season! Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

This teacher needs your help!

Good Singers Don't Sit On The Floor!

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Project tagged as

Boost your odds

Top rated for efficiency and transparency.

TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes

How we calculate what's needed

Project Activity

Project Activity

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.