Miranda Clark-Binder

Miranda Clark-Binder is an PreK3- 8th grade art educator at Norwood Fontbonne Academy in Philadelphia.

I entered the art classroom in 2021 after more than 15 years in Art Museum education. After holding quite a few roles in the Philadelphia area arts community I knew immediately upon entering the classroom that being an art teacher was my calling.

We use our art classrooms for not only art class but also for our art electives of 3D art and digital art, after school art clubs, school-wide and community art projects, set and theatre design for our drama program, and so much more. At our school we have art for PreK3 through 8th grade so there is always so much art happening, all of the time, across both of our campuses!

At Norwood Fontbonne Academy we have the unique experience of having two campuses so I actually have two art classrooms! My lower school space is geared towards younger learners and my upper school classroom is where I hold my middle school art classes. Both of my spaces are fantastic and full of the joy and creativity of my students.

My school is very encouraging of our students getting out of the classroom and visiting museums, creating art for service projects, and making art for the enjoyment of learning. I have many images in both of my classrooms of works of art and love it when my students return from museums and tell me very excitedly that they have seen the artwork we learned about in person. Its like hearing about a celebrity sighting! I am so proud to be part of a school like NFA, that sees the importance of learning through the arts and fosters the creativity of our students.

When I worked in art museums I found one of the things I enjoyed the most was watching children make art inspired by what they were learning. Helping them to make those connections was inspiring to me. I have always been encouraged by their creative curiosity. I have found that as an art teacher I get to inspire that creativity, curiosity, and excitement every day across all ages.

I enjoy the relationships that I build with my students and am proud of the excitement that we have around the arts at Norwood Fontbonne Academy. I joined NFA in 2023 and I like to think that I bring a unique perspective to my art classrooms as a result of my work in museums and community art. I am always going to museums to look for inspiration and encourage all of my students to do the same. I feel very fortunate as an art teacher to be surrounded by a community that values the arts and its importance in education

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