My name is Melissa Williams, and I am a native of the Raleigh/Cary Area. My interest in elementary education probably goes back to my own positive experiences being a student at Wiley International Magnet Elementary School in Raleigh. I loved the diversity of my classmates and their families. Later I went to North Carolina School of the Arts to finish high-school and pursue a focus in visual art, because I have always loved drawing, painting, and art history. While getting my Bachelor's in Fine Art at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art), I completed an internship with an inner-city, low-income Baltimore school; this was a K-8 school, and one that did not have adequate arts subject-teachers for the student population. We provided weekly art lessons to a second grade class, and I discovered how fulfilling and expressive teaching can be!
My teaching career began with this internship in 2006. I taught art for several years in homeschool, aftercare, and Montessori classrooms when I moved back to NC, and did my own private lessons with multiple age groups. With a bit of pride I can say I have been teaching in some capacity for over 10 years now, and the majority of that time has been with young students.
I completed my Masters in Elementary Education at NC State University. My student-teaching experience brought me to Hilburn Academy, and I was offered the wonderful opportunity to join the second grade team- in the 2013 school year. It is my seventh year at Hilburn teaching full-time in a home room, and my fifth year with a position in first grade!
If you want to see some of my previous students' artwork, please go to www.mkwstudios.com!
My teaching career began with this internship in 2006. I taught art for several years in homeschool, aftercare, and Montessori classrooms when I moved back to NC, and did my own private lessons with multiple age groups. With a bit of pride I can say I have been teaching in some capacity for over 10 years now, and the majority of that time has been with young students.
I completed my Masters in Elementary Education at NC State University. My student-teaching experience brought me to Hilburn Academy, and I was offered the wonderful opportunity to join the second grade team- in the 2013 school year. It is my seventh year at Hilburn teaching full-time in a home room, and my fifth year with a position in first grade!
If you want to see some of my previous students' artwork, please go to www.mkwstudios.com!