Then AND NOW
Spring 1996
To change, or not to change? YEARS AGO 30 Check out these items from the Spring 1996 issue of the ATA Magazine , which looked at the value of public education and the meaning of change in education. Archival issues of the ATA Magazine can be just as relevant now as they were when originally published, or they can remind us how far we’ve come. You decide.
In Praise of Teachers
[W]hen we read the words “edu- cational change,” we are actually reading an oxymoron. There is no such thing as educational change—at least in a philosophic sense. What we do when we edu- cate is help our youth rediscover humanity. — Dale Wallace, “Education is Art: Education is based on the principles of democ- racy and humanism”
Change the curriculum if neces- sary. Change the resources, the requirement for advancement, the physical surroundings and the amenities. Change, if possible, the auxiliary activities that steal precious time. But do not change the teacher in the classroom. The teacher is the ruler in the kingdom of fantasy, fairy tales and dreams-come-true, and the creator of miracles. Yet even makers of miracles have needs, and one of the most important of these is respect. Let us never forget to respect our teachers. — Kathy Paterson, “Wizards of Wisdom: The teacher is the key to the enchanting world of the classroom”
Early in my efforts to get teachers and schools involved in promoting public education, I learned that what we need to do is add in rather than add on. What I mean is teachers cannot add more to an already busy workload and continue to be effective in their job instructing students. What can be done is take advantage of the positive events that happen in school every day, and look for opportunities to add in a little promotion of these successes. — Donna Swiniarski, “The Public Education Action Centre Works!”
ATA Magazine Winter 2026
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