In the northern Netherlands knowledge of arithmetic and practical mathematics became more and more important from the early 17th century. By the mid-18th century learning arithmetic had become more common and primary schoolteachers were expected to know mathematics. The rather strong interest in mathematics and the greater knowledge of teachers in the 18th century resulted in the publication of a monthly journal, Mathematische Liefhebberye (Mathematical Pastimes), between 1754 and 1769. Though the title suggests a periodical for mathematical recreation, the translation of the full title is: ‘Mathematical Pastimes, with news of the French and Dutch Schools’. ‘The content of this journal makes it clear that it was intended for teachers who taught mathematics, in primary schools or privately. One may conclude that already in the 18th century in the Netherlands there was a tendency to consider mathematics as an autonomous school discipline and also that there was the beginning of a spontaneous move towards professionalization of teachers. After 1769, no comparable journals for mathematics teachers were successfully published for a long time. After 1815 mathematics very gradually became a more important subject in Latin schools, which officially belonged to higher education. Mathematics became an important school subject in the new secondary schools, which were part of legislation on secondary education in 1863. It was taught by mathematics teachers who had to have a degree in mathematics or engineering. In 1904 the first national periodical for mathematics teachers in secondary education was published, Wiskundig Tijdschrift (Mathematical Magazine).