A Monteagle Elementary School first grade teacher who was arrested a year ago on child pornography charges, is facing up to 15 years and eight months in prison.
Attorneys said the sentencing range for 34-year-old Benjamin Lane Walker is 151-188 months.
He will be sentenced Monday morning by Federal Judge Sandy Mattice.
Anthony Martinez of the federal public defender's office, said the guideline sentence is too harsh. He said Walker has no prior criminal record and there are no allegations of inappropriate activity with children.
He said he did not actively seek the pornography, but allowed others to place it on his computer.
He said 41 letters of support were offered for the defendant, who has lost his ability to teach and also lost his wife and his home.
Prosecutor Gary Humble said there should be "a severe sentence" in the case.
He said, "This is a routine child porn case in all respects but one. The defendant was a first grade teacher at the time he committed the charged offense. This is an extremely aggravating factor."
He added, "The court should send a strong message that those who work with little children cannot be someone who views them as sex objects and facilitates their sexual abuse by his own conduct."
Authorities said Walker's computer contained numerous images of identifiable children engaged in pornographic acts.