When Mario first approached me with the idea of another magazine for Pilgrims which was more general (we already had the Teacher Trainer which was very niche in its outreach) I suggested a free online magazine.

I remember the then ‘management team’ of Pilgrims saying I was crazy to suggest we run a free magazine and that we should be charging a subscription fee. I said trust me, this will be one of the best marketing tools Pilgrims will ever have. Well I was right, over the years many people have come on courses as a result of reading HLT and it remains one of the few long lasting free magazines for teachers out there.

I remember at the same time all the publishers investing into paid content websites, years later they all but disappeared as free content became the way online, so it seems once again Pilgrims and HLT had pioneered and led the way some 20 years before everyone else.

HLT gives Pilgrims and our network of family and friends a unique voice and in the hands of Hania we have seen so many institutions from different countries showcase their talent in guest issues. This is outreach that others can only dream of!

It has also given new teachers and writers their first chance to have their work published, in an industry where published articles are often written by a select few.

When personally reflecting on 45 years of Pilgrims and 20 years of Humanistic teaching it’s gratifying that what was once seen as avant garde in educational thinking has become the accepted way to support and respect students and teachers alike, but there’s still a long way to go and HLT will continue to wave the flag.

In a world where there’s more free resources and ideas out there for teachers than they could ever use in a lifetime, HLT remains one of the few places where people can share their experiences of using their ideas, real ideas from real classrooms, and it’s this authenticity that I am most proud of.

For me HLT is a reflection of Pilgrims values of simplicity, family, inspiration, motivation and innovation.

Thank you Mario for that train journey to London 20 years ago where the seeds were sown and your early years of editorial vision, thank you Hania for your passion and dedication and inclusive and open editorship, your tireless networking and recruiting of new writers at conferences, thank you to all the writers and contributors, thank you to the thousands of readers for your support, thank you to Anton who puts each issue together, and thank you to Till Gins, owner of Pilgrims for allowing us to keep giving this unique free gift to teachers and the world of education 6 time a year.

Please check the Pilgrims courses at Pilgrims website.