Welcome to Benderville! My name is Nikki Bender and I am "the mayor". 
I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have two kids - Grace and LJ. 
I have always wanted to be a teacher, so this is my dream job. I have been teaching for six years now, and every year is a new and exciting adventure! Ganns Middle Valley is a great school to be at and the students, parents, faculty and staff here are AWESOME! I feel blessed to be able to teach here.
FUN FACTS:
* I love to read - ANYTHING! My favorite author is Francine Rivers.
* I enjoy the arts - painting, drawing, music, drama...
* I am a fan of chocolate.
* I love to do crafts and scrapbooking.
* I am definitely a dog person.
* I grew up in the military and lived in many places - including Japan and Alaska.
* My favorite subject is HISTORY!
* I love thunderstorms.
* One of my hobbies is cake decorating...you might get a sample!
If you need to email me for any reason send me a message at bender_danielle@hcde.org.
Here are links to the other 3rd grade teacher sites: