Hello, My name is Miranda Bender. I am 27 years old and my birthday is in the great month of September. I live with my two dogs, Jack and Bella. My siblings consist of a twin sister and a little brother and sister. Being a twin has opened up my mind to many different ways of seeing the world, especially to see that you cannot make assumptions about two people even if they look alike. I grew up in the small town of Hillsdale, Michigan where I spent most of my time playing soccer and spending time with my friends. My favorite color is purple and on the weekends in the fall you will find me watching football and during the winter and spring you will find me watching basketball. God is a huge part of my life and without my faith I would not be the person I am today. My grandfather is my hero and after he passed away, my goal has been to make him proud even from Heaven!
In October of 2013 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. When I went in for surgery I found that my cancer had spread to my lungs. Quickly after this discovery I began chemotherapy. After a brutal year of treatment my cancer began to spread to my brain. The fight for my life has continued ever since and while cancer is a part of me, I do my best to not let the diagnosis define me.
I am a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in Elementary Education. My teaching focus is Language Arts and my minor is TESOL. Becoming a teacher has always been where my heart has wanted to go. I enjoy teaching younger children (around the beginning years 1-3 grade) because I find the way they observe the world to be very interesting. I did a study abroad in Australia in the summer of 2009 and I had the privilege of teaching a class of first graders for three weeks. During that time I was able to observe the way the students learned as well as what helped them engage in the classroom and what did not work.
After I graduated from Michigan State University, I moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where I taught second grade for three years. In 2016 I moved back to Michigan where I taught first grade in Coldwater, Michigan. In 2017 I began a new chapter, teaching third grade at Camden-Frontier in Michigan where I am currently teaching.
All photos on this page are my own personal photos unless stated in the attributions.