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:
- "The Business of Creative Blogging Series -
Teachers Pay Teachers Seller Profile: Art Teacher Melinda Nguyen"
Deep Space Sparkle (2015) - "Craft Projects for Math Class"
Scholastic.com (2016) - "Count on Math Crafts"
Scholastic Teacher Magazine (2016) - "TpT Talk - Episode 6"
Interview with: Rachel Davis (2017) - "Here's How I Set Up My Art Room for the New School Year"
Teachers Pay Teachers Blog (2017)
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
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your sweet words!
DeleteI appreciate you taking the time to read my posts! :)
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.
ReplyDeleteIt'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).
DeleteOur 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!