Humanizing Language Teaching is the name given to this journal by its founder, Mario Rinvolucri, also a co-founder of Pilgrims, as many of you will know. For the last 48 years, Pilgrims and Humanistic Education have gone hand in hand: we are very proud of this association, and we are determined to continue on this fascinating journey. On a course I recently ran, I’ve been asked in what ways Pilgrims can be considered a Humanistic center. Of course, the ideas of Maslow, Rogers, but also of William James (the father of American psychology) constitute the backbone of our story, the source from which we continue to drink. More specifically, though, this is what comes to mind when I think of these matters:

1. At Pilgrims, we believe that in many ways, each learner is just like any other learner, in so far as ALL learners need to feel psychologically safe, and work in an environment that respects them as human beings, and promotes social connections.
2. In other ways, we also believe that every learner is profoundly unique in the sense that the journey to self-actualization (that is, realization of one’s fullest human potential) is personal, and sacred.
3. We believe that we are the material, we don’t just do the material. Through meaningful interaction, our goal is to promote every learner’s growth and development. We don’t just teach so our learners can pass this or that test.
4. We believe that each single learner needs to have a higher goal than just merely doing well on a test, however important this may be.
5. We believe that emotions are central in the learning and teaching processes. There’s an emotion behind a behavior, there’s an emotion behind a decision we take. Understanding what the emotion is, and what triggers it is hugely important.
6. As a consequence, we believe every teacher should transition from being an ‘emotion judge’ to an ‘emotion scientist’.
7. We believe learners should be left free to explore, to become, to create their own meaning.

A human-centered education is needed, more than ever. We need a system that acknowledges the universal need for safety, creativity, a sense of belongingness, as well as respects and nurtures the unique trajectory of every learner on their way to self-actualization. At Pilgrims we choose growth.