After that dramatic notice of the shut down in July, our subscribers and well wishers may have been surprised (pleasantly so, we hope) to see the August issue out and promises of more to come. When we announced the imminent closure due to lack of funds, we were overwhelmed by the number of emails we received affirming the value of the magazine and asking if any help could be provided to keep it going. The team then decided to hunker down and see if this were indeed possible. As we noted in the last post, we are committed to the idea of a professional magazine, and we believe completely in its relevance and the possibility of success.
A principal from an army school recently called the office to tell us that for a teachers' day gift, her staff chose to receive subscriptions to the magazine over anything else--no sarees or boxes or kitchen doodahs! This is great news for us, and we hope many other teacher groups will feel the same way. It's only if more and more teachers read the magazine and feel a sense of community with others whose views are expressed in its pages, will the profession begin to feel like one. Teachers need to voice their ideas and their reactions to trends that often leave them bewildered and alienated, trends that in fact affect them and their work deeply. They should be shaping and directing these trends, not simply following them helplessly or worse, resentfully. And voicing one's opinion is the first step to becoming part of a set of opinion makers, and gradually, opinion leaders.
Teacher Plus is now going through a transition of sorts. The struggle for survival continues, but it is continuing in the hope that sustainability will be reached sooner rather than later. Principals, teachers, concerned educationists and administrators and readers from other groups need to lend their support to the magazine if our journey is to be eased somewhat! Write for us, subscribe to the magazine, and help us grow!
