John Dano

Professor Lovitt
SED464
September 12, 2016
School Environment Narrative
Glenn F. Burton is an elementary school located on 49th Avenue and Maryland Avenue.
In the Glendale district, it has an extremely tight budget, struggling to give basic classroom
necessities let alone technology that will help the students succeed. It is also a K-8 school,
meaning their funds are not solely focused on middle school education. The neighborhood
surrounding the school is poor; many of the students do not even have pencils. In short, the
school of Glenn F. Burton has no money to spare for extra-curricular technology.
The area surrounding the school consists of primarily people of less economically sound
means. Many are either unable or unwilling to find a job, and the families surrounding the
children that attend Glenn F. Burton are often broken or divided. Drugs and alcohol (both
reportedly very influential and prominent in this area) only tear the families and children further
apart. As a result of all of these factors, many parents are unable to give their children school
supplies necessary to succeed. Single families are quite prominent, and some of the children do
not even have pencils to bring to class. The neighborhood itself is somewhat run down, with
yards being neglected and crime being a major problem in the Southern part of the Glendale
District. Kids often rebel against teachers and struggle to keep their grades up; their personal life
often times has a negative impact on how they perform and behave at school.
Unfortunately for Burton Elementary, these poor grades are hurting the school in the
funding department. This means that the state of Arizona gives less money to this elementary
school than other schools because Burton cannot meet Common Core standards. The school
funding is next to nothing. The desks that students sit at are not desks at all. They are tables

which the kids set up first thing in the morning, with between 4 and 5 chairs per table.
Technology is almost nonexistent. Technology for the students to use consists of six 10-year old
computers in the back of the classroom, and the teacher has a very old computer with minimal
internet service, as well as a smartboard. The school does not even have textbooks to use in class
let alone to take home with them, and like many schools in Arizona, their teachers are
compensated little for imparting information to Burtons students.
The schools rules and regulations regarding student behavior in the classroom are
somewhat lenient. Though actions against bad student behavior have been taken, the teacher is
held almost solely responsible for keeping the students in line. Some students attend Burton to
learn, but many more are either seeking to escape a difficult personal life or simply have no
stimulation to do well in school. Interruptions in the classroom are frequent; other teachers come
in with quick announcements or questions, while students leave to use the restroom. This makes
keeping the students attention very difficult. Due to difficulty (almost inability) to keep students
focused and in line as well as a general chaotic atmosphere, the teachers become frustrated.
The general atmosphere of this school is one in need of financial and physical help. Often
times parents are not involved in their childrens life, and teachers are paid a very minimal
amount to teach students whom many of which have no academic reason for being there. Burton
Elementary is in dire need of individual desks as well as textbooks. The system requires a more
structured way of handling and teaching students, and it would greatly benefit from finding ways
to get students more engaged in class, one way of the prior being student-based technology.
I am asking for a $10,000 grant to give the students the opportunity to excel in the
classroom. The best way for them to do that is to have technology at their fingertips and ready to

use. Within the proposal, thirty iPads as well as Microsoft word and table mounts will
accomplish this with the right personnel and teaching method. By implementing these resources
into the classroom, the students will have access to the internet and organizational tools they
would otherwise not be granted to accomplish this project.