The Teacher Training
For graduates of any recognized Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course.
Online, Summer 2026: June 30 - Aug.25
PLEASE NOTE: REGISTRATION CLOSED FOR 2026
Training Now In Progress
Join us in 2027
Dates: June 29 - August 24
Take your permaculture skills to the next level!
We Will Share from Our Own Experience
20 Years of Teaching Permaculture
Over 100 PDC Courses Delivered
Over 2,000 Graduates
Our success over 20 years didn’t happen by accident. Bill and Milton will share what they and our other dedicated teachers have learned over these years. If you are passionate about teaching the brilliance of permaculture thinking, designing and living — this 9-week course is probably a perfect fit for you.
“Bill and Milton guided our enrichment expertly and compassionately with the most diverse learning styles addressed in any course study I’ve ever experienced.”
Deborah – High School Teacher
A 9-WEEK, ONLINE COURSE
SUMMER 2026: JUNE 30 - AUG. 25
CONSISTS OF WEEKLY ZOOM CALLS - TUESDAY EVENINGS
Students will need to budget approx. 6-hrs. per week to keep up with the course content and earn the Teacher's Certificate.
“Just because teaching is going on,
does not mean learning is as well.”
— Folk Wisdom
The 5 Aspects of Effective Teaching
1-part Knowledge…
1-part Skill…
1-part Creativity…
and 2-parts…CARE FOR THE STUDENTS.
This Training Address all 5
Andrew C.
– Homesteader and Electrician
“You not only gave us the perspective and skills to become great teachers, you also laid large segments of the Midwest Permaculture PDC course curriculum at our feet– the videos and all of the PowerPoints you shared are priceless to me. What business gives away their best work? This has got to be permaculture sharing at its ultimate.”
“Amazing. This training has given me insights, tools and even greater inspiration to offer my own workshops and trainings.”
Margaret H.
– Social Services Director
Subjects Covered
Ethics, Principles and Goals of Teaching / True Role of the Instructor / Learning Objectives and Desired Outcomes / Teaching Systems / Learning Styles / Presentation Styles / Curriculum Building and Module Planning / Finding the Magic in Each Topic / Circular Learning / Leaving Students Wanting to Know More / Leave Them a Trail / Teaching from the Heart / High Maintenance Students / Planning and Running Short or Long Workshops / What’s Involved in Hosting and Teaching the Full PDC Course / Unpacking The MWP-PDC Curriculum / Running A Teaching Business / Building A Reputation
Janice C.
– Homemaker and Small Business Owner
“Bill, you were modeling what you were teaching the entire time. Seeing is truly believing. I got it!”
“I knew I had the knowledge and passion to share permaculture with others; I just didn’t have the clarity, and quite honestly, the confidence. I certainly do now. I am ready to launch. Very grateful for this training.”
Jack A.
– Landscape Architect
“Education is not the filling of a pot,
but the lighting of a fire.”
— W.B. Yeats
Qualification for Taking This Training?
This training is for anyone who is a graduate of any recognized 72-Hour Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course. When registering, you will be asked when and where you took your PDC Course and who the lead instructor was.
Become a teacher that really ‘connects-the-dots’ and also inspires.
[Inspire: Latin-"to breath into"]
Bianca Heyming
A Graduate of both our PDC and Teacher Training
Bianca went on to give an enlightened and heart-felt TED Talk where she is modeling many of the things we discuss in our teacher trainings.
If you are interested in community, or relationships in general, this talk is a must. Thank You Bianca!
We just recently followed up with Bianca…
“Bill, I can honestly say that my trainings with Midwest Permaculture (10-years ago now – Wow) shaped me in lasting ways. It supported me through the ebbs and flows of community living and offered principles I still lean on today both personally and professionally in my leadership role within our Regional Health District.”
FAQs –
It is often said that should one wish to really learn something — try teaching it!
And this is so true in the permaculture world. The subject of permaculture is such a large, inspiring and encompassing body of work that the deeper understandings only come once we begin to actively put into practice many of the concepts and principles. An even deeper understand comes when we begin to share our growing knowledge with others.
And the more experience we have the greater impact we can have to inform and inspire. Learning how to effectively communicate our knowledge, experience and inspiration is a real and valuable skill. It is in those moments that our passion is multiplied as others really start to get what it is we are saying. That is a magical moment. This training is about crafting more of these moments.
Also, the Permaculture Teacher Training is still the traditional prerequisite to formally teaching your own PDC Courses should you ever wish to host, lead and/or teach the full PDC Course, and offer your own PDC Certificates.
The primary focus will be on how one becomes an ‘effective’ permaculture teacher. People who are passionate and committed to living and teaching an authentic way of living on the planet will likely find this training invaluable. Over these 9-weeks and under the experienced guidance Bill and Milton, students will be compassionately supported in exploring those parts of themselves that make us all more effective teachers and communicators, and not just of permaculture. Much of what is learned about communication and teaching in this training will be valuable tools throughout one’s life.
We will also provide each student teacher a wealth of practical-permaculture resources from which to draw upon while they are developing their permaculture teaching curriculums, skills and business. This includes much of Midwest permaculture’s PDC course curriculum materials. We will identify some of the key pieces and aspects of our PDC Courses that really make an impression on most students and why. Bottom-line: How do we, as teachers, transfer the brilliance and possibilities of permaculture to the general public?
Once you are registered you will receive a welcome email with a simple pre-training assignment.
Teacher Training Fee - $895
Online, Summer 2026: June 30 – Aug.25 (9 weeks)
Weekly Zoom Calls – Tuesday Evenings – 6:30-8:30 Central
Register Early — Limit 16 Students
You will be asked what year, what location, and who the lead instructor was of the PDC Course you received your certificate from. We don’t need an actual hard copy of your PDC certificate.
If you have yet to earn the PDC Certificate, you can register for our online PDC Course at the same time you register here for this training and you’ll save $200 but you will need to complete the PDC course before this Teacher Training starts on June 30th. The spring Support/Review sessions begin on April 13th and wrap up on June 8th. These will really assist you in completing the course on time.
Any remaining questions about anything? Would a payment program support you in being able to attend this training? Please don't hesitate to call/contact Milton.
Pricing for our MWP Graduates – $695
To all of our ‘In-Person’ or ‘On-Line’ PDC Courses — You are already preapproved. :-)
Just email Milton for your $200 Discount Code.
We are looking forward to seeing you in class again.
Registration
Low Risk Cancellation and Refund Policy
We know that unexpected things happen or come up in everyone’s lives, so should a student need to cancel their enrollment in this training there is a full refund if you cancel before May 30th. After this date there is a full refund less $150.
Once the course begins, there are no refunds for cancellations or for withdrawal. We may however extend partial credit toward another training.
A Closing Question from Bill…
“Why do you wish to teach permaculture?”
Is it because you simply want to make money teaching something that is considered ‘Green’?
Is it because it looks easy to market and host permaculture trainings?
Is it because permaculture is in your bones and you just have to share your passion for this approach to living with others? Bingo…!
Who makes an ideal Permaculture Teachers?
From our experience, it starts with the person who is willing to share their love of permaculture with others, whether they receive financial compensation for it or not. It is the one who knows that the deeper insights into permaculture are its ethical underpinnings–seeking to find ways of healing the planet while caring for the human condition. It is the person who is passionate about sharing this inspiration and information, but they are also solid within themselves.
The great teachers are the ones that can laugh, cry, play, empathize and explore with their students. They know that everyone in the learning environment is a student… a teacher… and a fellow traveler in this journey called life.
The True Role of the Instructor is to Teach by Being a Memorable Example.
The Goal of Teaching is to Share Something of Genuine Value While Inspiring the Desire in Students to Want to Know More and Take Action.
This is noble, satisfying and much needed work. Come and join me.
Bill
“He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.”
— Epictetus
Additional Wisdom About Teaching
“One does not become a good teacher by listening to others. At some point we must engage in the art of teaching.” -Bill Wilson
“If you really wish to learn a subject, teach it.” – Folk Wisdom
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” — Benjamin Franklin
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” — Mahatma Gandhi
“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” — Albert Einstein