Mrs. Simkus

I’m very excited to have your child in my Art class this year!

Now that the 2024-25 school year is underway, I want to introduce myself, provide contact information, and explain the objectives of the choice-based art program at Norton Creek.

My name is Joyce Simkus and I’ve been teaching art for over 20 years. In addition to teaching,  I’m an acrylic painter as well as a collage and mixed media artist.  I’ve had the honor of presenting at education conferences and earned the Illinois Elementary Art Educator of the Year award in 2017. I come from an artistic family, as my late father was a graphic designer in the 1970s who created  logos on packaging. My family includes my husband, Scott, a writer who specializes in baseball history, my son, Joe, who served in the Army and is currently in college, my daughter, Libby, a hair stylist and my dog, Ginny, a seven year old shihtzu.

Contact Information

Art is basically a form of communication and to that end, I want to encourage you to reach out to me if you have questions regarding your child’s performance.  I’m accessible via email (Joyce.Simkus@D303.org) or phone (331)228-6141.

Art Education Today

Just like everything in the world, art education at the elementary school level continues evolving. Over the past several years, we’ve transitioned from the old fashioned, teacher-led art classroom, to a more dynamic, choice-based learning environment. What does this mean? In the past, art class was centered around the finished product, where every student came home with the same exact paint-by-numbers creation. It was a byproduct of the industrial age, where students were being taught to be exactly the same as one another. Today we place more emphasis on the creative process and steering students toward their own unique talents. This is where students learn, create and express ideas in different ways, using a broad range of materials. I have high expectations for each student and part of my evaluation process is challenging their ideas, decisions and interpretations. We discuss these things on a weekly basis and it gives me a great deal of satisfaction realizing these students are going to be the creative, innovative, self-disciplined leaders in business, education, service, the trades and the creative arts of the future.