Transformation: "nothin' ain't permanent nohow.".

I saw these words written on an urban renovation site fence recently. They say something about the street lingo of today. But more importantly, they convey a basic truth that is echoed in many of the articles in this month's issue.

The construction site signage also reminds us of the many changes that you have probably noticed in the past two issues of SchoolArts and that will continue to occur throughout the year. You may have noticed that new names and title changes appear in the masthead. Helpful Hints has been expanded to include a full page of additional Bright Ideas. Looking Around has shifted from paying attention to human-made aspects of our visual world to taking a closer look at the natural world, which also complements the new series, Art and the Natural Environment. Teacher Voices has been added to highlight characteristics of "Wonder Full" teachers, as defined by Peter London and Virginia Freyermuth. We are also including article extensions and more Lessons Online on our website: www.davis-art.com/SchoolArts. As the young artist featured in Senior Portfolio (another new department that focuses on a body of work by one student) says, "The only permanent thing in life is change."

Change. Metamorphosis. Transformation. As humans, we live change, which by definition has many endings--endings that allow for beginnings. A natural inclination of humans is to resist change and to stay with what we think we know are right answers. It's dangerous to think we know the answer. Knowing the answer prevents us from seeking out other possibilities and ideas, therefore limiting new beginnings.

But the truly great artists learned long ago that one cannot become a butterfly by remaining a caterpillar. Throughout time and around the world, artists have exemplified transformation. They have built bridges of creativity between perception, illusion, and distortion. They have woven webs of imagination between reality, fantasy, and myth. They have merged the paths of plan and intuition, of science and magic, of eye and hand, and of mind and spirit on their journeys in pursuit of change.

Teachers, by the nature of their job, are agents of change. This is evident in the articles in this month's issue. The authors describe transforming the lives of their students, controlling chaos, transforming reality, transforming ideas, and transforming their own teaching. They also offer practical suggestions for transforming traditional practices.

In teaching, one reality about change is that we do not have to constantly invent ideas and frameworks. On our journey forward, there are already others who may have done what we want to do or changed what we want to change. It is less about invention and more about discovery. If we can identify the things that others have done or are doing that might work for us, it might be a lot easier to make improvements. It makes no sense to constantly be reinventing the wheel or rewriting the curriculum. Too frequent changes often reverse previous changes. Instead of changing fundamentally, we take up one fad, or flavor of the month, after another. Eventually, we come full circle, as Hugh Jackman sings in The Boy from Oz: "... everything old is new again."

But then again, "nothin ain't permanent nohow."