permaculture

[Scott Pittman <pci@permaculture-inst.org>]

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Subject:
> Re: [permaculture] "Free" Permacuture
> From:
> DAVIDMATTHEWEDGE@aol.com
> Date:
> Sat, 20 Aug 2005 04:18:50 EDT
> To:
> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
>
> To:
> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
>
>
> Selwyn Polit,  
> Austin, Texas USA wrote:
>
> "Hi,
> that phenomenon seems to be around here in Texas."
>
> I'm not surprised that the idea has taken root in Texas.  When I took  my 
> design course from Scott Pittman and Bill Mollison near Austin at Fossil Rim  
> (then home of Cross Timbers PC institute) in 1996, it was specifically mentioned  
> to all course participants by one or the other (or both) of them.
>
> The idea was that PDC graduates could attend same- or inferior-level (i.e.  
> fundamentals, introdouctory, etc.) courses and pay only room and board.  It  
> was said to have been the case from the beginning of PC instruction. 
>
> Maybe this can shed some light on the origin of the idea.
>
> David,
> Vendée, France
>
>  
OK, Ok!! I'll take twenty percent responsibility, the other eighty 
percent must accrue to Bill Mollison who started the idea in the first 
place!!, it goes like this...

Any graduate of a pc certification class is welcome to audit future 
courses as long as 1. the course has space for said graduate, 2. the 
said graduate pays for any additional expenses for being at the course - 
with the exception of instructor fees, which are waived, (the teaching 
fees are waived because the course has reached the numbers necessary to 
convene - for me that is ten students), 3. graduate auditor  may not 
dominate the class with questions, and monologues designed to show off 
his or her knowledge, 4. the said graduate produces his PC Certificate 
at enrollment, and the person issueing the certificate is considered 
qualified to issue such certificate by the course instructor.  The 
purpose of this "not so free" audit was to encourage teachers, who would 
be able to experience many different styles, and pedagogical methods and 
thereby feel more at ease launching into the teaching field.  I still 
think that we are way shy on teachers and that any encouragement should 
be gladly given.  Having said that it is and always has been up to the 
discretion of the teacher, who should, however, be prepared to give good 
reasons why auditing is not allowed, and I don't think the old /in loco 
parentis /ploy of "because I say so" carries much weight.  I have 
attended many such courses as an auditor, and sometimes contributor and 
will continue to do so, since I always come away enriched with both new 
knowledge and better ways to convey such knowledge.  Larry Santoyo has 
certainly enriched my teaching and thinking just sitting quietly in the 
back of his classroom.

In most professions the practicioners are required to take courses or 
practicums that keep them current in their field - I don't see that 
permaculture should be immune from this need.

my 2 cents,
SCott Pittman