earn a certificate of
regenerative design for educators: Principles and practices
A project-based certification for educators, rooted in our We Are Verbs community, created to give you guidance and experience applying regenerative principles to your own personal context as an educator.
the certificate built on top of
we are verbs
Our certificate is project-based. It's job-embedded. It's community-powered.
It's not fast-- it takes a year. That's intentional.
It's also one of the highest-quality (and maybe least-expensive) certification processess you'll encounter in the world of education. We deeply believe your educator practice will change, and that you'll receive some wild personal benefits, too.
UPDATE: OUR SEPTEMBER COHORT FOR CERTIFICATION IS NOW CLOSED, AND WE WILL OPEN ANOTHER COHORT IN THE SPRINGTIME. IN THE MEANWHILE, PLEASE CHECK OUT WE ARE VERBS-- THE PLATFORM ON WHICH THE CERTIFICATION IS BUILT. IT IS OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT ANY TIME OF YEAR.
calling all educators:
Who is this for?
If you are an educator-- meaning, you spend most of your time working with students-- and you want to usher in a new paradigm of regeneration through your work in education, leaving behind the industrial models, this is for you.
Maybe you're a public school teacher, a learning specialist, a private school teacher, a community educator, an outdoor educator, a pod teacher, an administrator, an unschooling parent, or an educator who wants to start their own school.
If we didn't mention your specific role, that doesn't mean it's NOT for you-- there are hundreds of different types of educators. If you're unsure, shoot us a message to see if this would be a good fit for you!
join a community of radical educators.
Learn about teaching from a regenerative paradigm.
dream up and work on your own project.
earn a certification.
"I never knew how great it could be working with a content creator who GETS it. Mathilde really gets it.
I'm baby farm-to-table sartorial helvetica, migas marfa paleo chambray normcore 8-bit bushwick roof party truffaut banjo actually. YOLO health goth jean shorts forage farm-to-table flannel. Brooklyn hexagon biodiesel af, man bun literally salvia live-edge fixie cornhole freegan.
- monique, model
How Do I Earn a Certificate?
FOR 12 MONTHS
Join our We Are Verbs Community + Cert Track for one year and learn to cultivate a more regenerative educator practice through our seasonal curriculum: participating in monthly core workshops and the monthly workbook while connecting with community and enjoying other special learning opportunities such as hands-on workshops, book clubs, and more.
brass tacks.
1
IN THE FIRST FEW MONTHS
As you're learning principles of being a more regenerative educator in We Are Verbs, you'll start to consider your personal design project.
Are you starting a new school and want to outline a vision, mission, and hiring strategies? Are you on your school's schedule committee and want to create a schedule that allows for principles of flexibility and depth? Are you a pod teacher who wants to design a unit of focus based in regenerative content? Are you an 8th grade English teacher who wants to create a semester-long Edshed community project? Are you a 3rd grade teacher who wants to design your classroom learning structures and environment to create more life? Are you an aspiring administrator who wants to re-think teacher evaluations from the perspective of quality, nuance, and flexibility (not quantity, absolutes, and control), or other regenerative frameworks that you'll learn in We Are Verbs?
There are endless possibilities for your project for your own specific goals as an educator doing great things. Project ideas will be varied. You choose and propose. We guide.
2
learning and unlearning
dream up your own project
MONTHS 1-3
Submit your initial idea and receive personalized encouragement and suggestions
MONTHS 3-6
Have a 1-1 with our founder, Sarah, about your project. Receive encouragement, questions, direction, suggestions
MONTHS 6-12
Submit your final project for final round of encouragement and suggestions
3
receive 1-1 guidance
4
Cultivate a daily connection practice for the year
FOR THE ENTIRE 12 MONTHS
For the first few weeks in the program, you'll decide which personal practice you'd like to commit to daily. When you've decided, let us know. For example, we recommend a practice of finding a sitting spot, ideally outside, where you spend 3+ minutes each day sitting, intentionally observing the living world, throughout the year. But you can choose a different daily connection practice that better connects your self to the living world.
There's no test on this. There's no tracker you have to wear. It's an honor system, and the goal is to use this certificate as a space of accountability to deepen your connection. Why? Why put this in a educator cert program? We know that it will help you cultivate a learning space that's more connected. You'll include your reflections on this personal practice at the end of the year in your reflection piece, and there's a place in your workbooks to reflect monthly.
6
submit a final reflection
Use audio, video, written word, a combination, or other to reflect on these three major areas:
- The daily connection personal practice you committed to. What did you learn? How did it impact the learning space you are cultivating? How does it connect to regenerative principles you've learned/unlearned throughout the year?
- The unlearning/re-learning you did in your daily life and practice aligned to the regenerative principles you learned from the core workshops, workbooks, book clubs, and other opportunities We Are Verbs offers
- The project you planned. What would you change based on encouragement/suggestions/what you learned since? If you manifested the project, how did it go? What will you iterate on next time? How can you share your learnings with others?
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
In addition to the We Are Verbs community workshops and space, take the opportunity to attend 4 seasonal meetings specifically designed for certificate track members to discuss options, share progress, and ask questions about designing their projects.
5
build community
Thank you for joining the waitlist for the Creation, Not Consumption workshop!
We will be in touch soon!
-Sarah and Jess
the truth about certification
What does this certificate mean?
Some folks interested in this certification want to know whether they can be a licensed regenerative educator. The truth is, there is no certifying body for regenerative ed, and therefore no such thing as a professional title (such as Master Regenerative Educator or Certified Regenerative Educator). The certificate you receive demonstrates participation in and competency around applying regenerative principles and practices, but this is not the same as obtaining a certification from some official board, like a state-issued teaching license.
We love this, because we are free to create something we think is very supportive towards the goal of actually becoming a more regenerative educator, and you receive a certificate that helps you communicate the knowledge you've gained, growth you've sustained, and project you've designed.
We know you'll use what you've learned and remembered here to enrich your teaching practice, design learning spaces and experiences that create a more beautiful world, and articulate regenerative frameworks to folks who are interested in doing things differently.
"I never knew how great it could be working with a content creator who GETS it. Mathilde really gets it.
I'm baby farm-to-table sartorial helvetica, migas marfa paleo chambray normcore 8-bit bushwick roof party truffaut banjo actually. YOLO health goth jean shorts forage farm-to-table flannel. Brooklyn hexagon biodiesel af, man bun literally salvia live-edge fixie cornhole freegan.
- monique, model
the options
How can I use this certificate?
There are two ways we like to think about this.
The first way: it's really not about the certificate; it's the knowledge, connections, and project you've completed and everything you've learned and the growth you've experienced along the way. Depending on the project you choose, the experience of the program can equip you to forge a path in your own regenerative career, such as starting a school pod, creating a new position or program at your institution rooted in regenerative principles, starting your own forest school, creating a literal garden program for your school, and the list goes on. It can also help you in your current role as an educator by simply shifting projects, practices, settings, content, or ways of communicating and thereby enhancing the effectiveness of your teaching practice. In short, it will prepare you to be a different kind of educator outside of the industrial educational paradigm (even if you're still working in it).
The second way we think about it: Above the experiences, the certification serves as a way to communicate what you've learned. It's a talking point on a resume. It's a point of credibility on a website. It serves as proof that you're investing in your own professional development, it might fulfill requirements your institution has for continuing education (check with your administration!), and so much more.
If you're unsure if this would benefit you, reach out!
"I never knew how great it could be working with a content creator who GETS it. Mathilde really gets it.
I'm baby farm-to-table sartorial helvetica, migas marfa paleo chambray normcore 8-bit bushwick roof party truffaut banjo actually. YOLO health goth jean shorts forage farm-to-table flannel. Brooklyn hexagon biodiesel af, man bun literally salvia live-edge fixie cornhole freegan.
- monique, model
How Much Does it Cost?
The 12-month program is $699, with the option to pay a monthly fee of $59 for 12 months.
let's talk about money
This workshop is over. Should we offer it again?
We are extremely proud of this price point for the caliber of this program.
But what if it's still outside the budget?
Thank you for joining the waitlist for the Creation, Not Consumption workshop!
We will be in touch soon!
-Sarah and Jess
- If you work for an institution, ask if they can pay for all/part of the program. Send them this page and the We Are Verbs page. We'd be happy to correspond via email with your institution if they have further questions: hi@groundedteaching.com.
- If you work for an institution who cannot pay, try communicating to your classroom parents this year that you'd like to go through this training, and you're looking for small sponsorship towards joining this program. We would be happy to send out a congratulatory proof of enrollment to anyone who sponsors you as well as a congratulations proof of certification at the end with a big ol' thank you for their contribution!
- WHILE YOU WAIT TO HEAR ABOUT PAYMENT SUPPORT: Simply join We Are Verbs right now for a month for $1 to see if you even enjoy or resonate with the content the content (use code FRIENDOFAVERB) and then simply message us if you'd like to switch over to the certificate track. We are Verbs is less expensive at $34/month, and while you won't have access to the certificate track elements, you will still emerge with a huge difference in your teaching practice! Additionally, you may be able to earn up to 100 Contact Hours (or 10 CEUs) for participating in live workshops and the workbooks. Check with your employer!
Solutions for a non-budging budget:
This workshop is over. Should we offer it again?
Thank you for joining the waitlist for the Creation, Not Consumption workshop!
We will be in touch soon!
-Sarah and Jess
Project Details
CREATING YOUR OWN PROJECT
Project Examples
- A (quarter-long, semester-long, year-long) project with your learners that is oriented from regenerative principles.
- Designing a new school
- A re-design of your dream learning space to best cultivate more life
- Re-writing hiring practices and policies to create a more regenerative experience for staff, and to hire folks who will contribute to that space
- A re-design your school schedule to cultivate several regenerative principles that seem most important to your school community
- A design of a brand-new outdoor learning space and outdoor curriculum for your learners
- An authentic local community project for your students to engage with
- A re-conceptualization of the culture of your classroom and the structures it would require to shift it
- A complete re-design of your curriculum to include regenerative principles
- An action research project related to a theory of change rooted in regenerative principles meant to create case study scenarios for future change in your institution and beyond
- Crafting a new role as a regenerative educator within your school community
- Starting a new program at an educational institution
- Reconsidering Teacher PD or Teacher Observations from a regenerative framework
Thank you for joining the waitlist for the Creation, Not Consumption workshop!
We will be in touch soon!
-Sarah and Jess
