About Me

Hi, my name is Melinda! I am a former elementary art educator turned WFH mom and entrepreneur!  
I graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Art Education (with a studio concentration in Graphic Design) from Georgia State University in 2011. After graduating I taught for 6 years at the elementary level in two different title one schools. During that time I also started this blog, presented at various local, state, and national conferences, and began crafting engaging and colorful art education resources!
Prior to the birth of my third little one, I decided to take a leave of absence from teaching to spend some valuable time at home with my kiddos. And while the leave of absence was initially intended to be temporary, during that time I started a creative side hustle which eventually blossomed into my current full time position running Rainbow Palette Design; a lanyard and accessories shop aimed at creating colorful items for teachers!


More about me:

Awards:
  • 2015 Finalist - 'Best Elementary Art Ed Blog' (The Art of Education)
  • 2014 2nd Place - ' Best Rising Star Art Ed Blog' (The Art of Education)
  • 2014 Teacher of the Year nominee

Professional Conference Presentations:
  • "The Art of Blogging: Surviving the First Year Through Social Media and Technology" 
    Georgia Art Education Association Fall Conference (2013) 
  • "Teachers-Pay-Teachers: Getting rich'ish quick'ish" 
    Georgia Art Education Association Fall Conference (2014)
  • "Connected Classroom: Building your network through blogging and technology" Georgia Art Education Association Fall Conference (2014)
  • "Connected Classroom: Building your network through blogging and technology" 
    National Art Education Association Conference (2015)
  • "Organize Your Classroom and Optimize Success
    National Art Education Association Webinar (2016)

Publications and Public Interviews:


4 comments

  1. I am thrilled to find your blog! Thank you for sharing your expertise, enthusiasm, and amazing creativity! I am sure it takes a lot of time to include so much detail in your posts. Please know it is most appreciated. With gratitude and excitement, your newest follower

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    1. Thank you so much for your sweet words!
      I appreciate you taking the time to read my posts! :)

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  2. and I thought our school was big?! 1400 kids k thru 5. y'all got us beat:) You're school demographic is very much like ours. Love your work. Does your arts integration teacher have a blog too? Our school is about to be part of an arts integration grant and I'm coordinating with our 2 artists in res how that will impact their curriculum as they co-plan with grade level teachers. Looks like you had a blast in NOLA. I went to school at LSU so I spent lots of time down there.

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    1. It's pretty crazy working at a school this big! Luckily the county is opening two new elementary schools next year (one of which will take part of our current population). I will be moving to the other one however (only projected to open with 1,200 students - still Title I).
      Our STEAM teacher does not keep a blog.. but if you email me at melindagram@gmail.com I could give you her email address if you'd like! :)
      And yes.. NOLA was awesome!! Can't wait to visit there again!
      And super can't wait until Chicago!

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