Marcy Reynolds
NBOG Teacher & Coordinator
Marcy earned her degree in social-psychology and CA teaching credential from UC Santa Cruz. Since 1991 she has used that degree and credential to support local homeschoolers through working as a teacher at Loma Prieta I.H.S., Ocean Grove Charter School and San Lorenzo Valley Charter School.
Marcy started her nature-based teaching career in 1985 at Hidden Villa Ranch in Los Altos. Since then she has continued to support and lead nature-based experiences for elementary, middle school, high school, undergraduate college and adult learners in all the different settings where she has taught. Her passion is plants, but she loves all of nature, including her own species. In 2006, Marcy, J.T. Osgood and a group of nature-loving homeschooling families co-founded the Nature-Based Ongoing Group.
J.T. Osgood, M.A.
NBOG Teacher
Awed by the beauty and wildness of mountains and forests since he can remember, J.T. has been an enthusiastic hiker and backpacker from age nine. Drawn to the liberal arts for formal study in high school and college, he read books about geology and ecology with some of his free time, while earning a B.A. degree at Goddard College in northeastern Vermont, then his K-12 multiple-subjects California teaching credential, and an M.A. in Developmental Education, at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, CA.
Since then his teaching experiences have included five years as a regular 2nd and 3rd grade public school teacher; two years as a classroom vocal and beginning recorder teacher in nearby public schools; four years in full-time alternative public elementary schools; thirteen years as a homeschooling teacher-consultant while also running a 2 to 3 days-per-week alternative classroom for homeschoolers (including seven very happy years co-teaching with Marcy Reynolds); two years as an Education Specialist for Ocean Grove Charter School; and, most recently, nine years teaching for NBOG.
Working and playing with NBOG kids, parents, and teachers as his only teaching commitment for the time being, provides him time to research and write a book on child development and education, while continuing to enjoy singing, dancing, hiking and learning with children, in the best of all classrooms — the outdoors!
John Rible, B.S.
NBOG Teacher
John has been working with children for almost 60 years, starting with family and neighbor baby-sitting as a young teen, then leading Sunday-school classes and being a day camp counselor in high school, volunteering as a tutor and Boy Scout leader while an undergrad at MIT (majoring in Biology & Electrical Engineering), and teaching in a wide range of settings, from pre-schools to colleges, both public and private, in the years since. Working part-time with computers enabled him to volunteer in local schools, continue to learn new skills, and be engaged in his community, all of which he loves. John has been teaching for NBOG since 2008. He brings his enjoyment of reading, science, and the outdoors to NBOG in the form of skill- and cooperation-building challenges and games, seeing himself as offering opportunities and guidance rather than teaching. In addition to his mentorship role at NBOG, John also provides small group mentorship in knife and fire skills, and one-on-one mentorship in high school level physics and math.
Kyle Vasquez
NBOG Teacher
Kyle’s lifelong love of nature has always been a central theme in her work with children over the last 20 years and she is happy to be able to combine them at NBOG. Growing up in Santa Cruz, many of her happiest childhood memories were in the forests where NBOG meets, exploring local ecosystems and letting her imagination run wild. Kyle started working with kids as a nanny and a youth theater and dance instructor. After the birth of her son, she was inspired to get a degree in Early Childhood Education from Cabrillo College, where she worked as an intern for two years.
Since getting her degree, Kyle has spent the last decade teaching toddlers and preschoolers, as well as teaching yoga and mindfulness to kids ages 2 to 14. She has lead workshops for parent groups and co-ops and presented at Early Childhood Education conferences around the central coast on the subjects of mindfulness, children’s literature, peace education, love and care of nature, social justice and conflict resolution. In the last few years, she has also added homeschooling her son to her list of teacher roles and loves the personalized and exploratory education that homeschool allows. She deeply believes in the power of learning through play and exploration, and sees herself as a more of a learning guide than a teacher.