Nonesuch Faculty
Alan Lindsley
Government, Philosophy
I studied at Menlo College, U.S.C. and Drew Theological Seminary. I love teaching at Nonesuch because each student has their own way of learning and as teachers here, we are able to respond to their needs in kind. I am always learning something new about myself and the world around me, the students are also teachers. In my classes, I create a space where my students can see a reflection of themselves with their own values and integrity. Likewise, I maintain the integrity of the subject matter and strive to pass on the material to the students in a relevant manner. Once the students feel safe and recognized, they can identify and articulate the tools that they wish to develop to take with them into the rest of their lives. I also try to instill in them the joy of learning and the thrill of discovery. Three of my own children have attended Nonesuch. My first book In The Heart of Being was published in 2008. I also write poetry, paint and have a theraputic practice which I call Dynamic Stillness/Breath of Life. Most of my free time is spent with my grandchildren who keep me in touch with the magic.
Government, Philosophy
I studied at Menlo College, U.S.C. and Drew Theological Seminary. I love teaching at Nonesuch because each student has their own way of learning and as teachers here, we are able to respond to their needs in kind. I am always learning something new about myself and the world around me, the students are also teachers. In my classes, I create a space where my students can see a reflection of themselves with their own values and integrity. Likewise, I maintain the integrity of the subject matter and strive to pass on the material to the students in a relevant manner. Once the students feel safe and recognized, they can identify and articulate the tools that they wish to develop to take with them into the rest of their lives. I also try to instill in them the joy of learning and the thrill of discovery. Three of my own children have attended Nonesuch. My first book In The Heart of Being was published in 2008. I also write poetry, paint and have a theraputic practice which I call Dynamic Stillness/Breath of Life. Most of my free time is spent with my grandchildren who keep me in touch with the magic.
Louise Vance
English, Documentary, History
When I was a teenage girl, I fell in love with stories, especially stories about people overcoming struggles. The rich worlds of literature and film are still my first loves, and it's a privilege and a joy to teach them in small seminar-style classes at Nonesuch. After earning an English teaching degree at the State University of New York at Albany, I took a decades-long detour into television, film and video production. The road was exciting and fun, and it led me to writing and directing documentary films for TBS, CNN, PBS and institutions including The Smithsonian and The National Institute of Medicine. I tackled subjects ranging from the Iranian Revolution to the birth of women's rights in America to the disappearing tropical rain forests. What's been wonderful about teaching at Nonesuch over the past three school years is the freedom to transform the skills and knowledge from my profession as a filmmaker into lessons in the classroom. The individual growth of our students is of paramount importance to me. Preparing them for a future where they can think critically, work well in teams, and express themselves effectively in written, verbal and digital form, is my mission. The students here rise to that challenge and shine, and they teach me in countless ways every day.
English, Documentary, History
When I was a teenage girl, I fell in love with stories, especially stories about people overcoming struggles. The rich worlds of literature and film are still my first loves, and it's a privilege and a joy to teach them in small seminar-style classes at Nonesuch. After earning an English teaching degree at the State University of New York at Albany, I took a decades-long detour into television, film and video production. The road was exciting and fun, and it led me to writing and directing documentary films for TBS, CNN, PBS and institutions including The Smithsonian and The National Institute of Medicine. I tackled subjects ranging from the Iranian Revolution to the birth of women's rights in America to the disappearing tropical rain forests. What's been wonderful about teaching at Nonesuch over the past three school years is the freedom to transform the skills and knowledge from my profession as a filmmaker into lessons in the classroom. The individual growth of our students is of paramount importance to me. Preparing them for a future where they can think critically, work well in teams, and express themselves effectively in written, verbal and digital form, is my mission. The students here rise to that challenge and shine, and they teach me in countless ways every day.
Jan Zeitlin
Art, Yoga
No man is an island, and what a pleasure it is for me to be at Nonesuch as yoga and art teacher sharing skills that I have found to be indispensable with our receptive and sensitive students. Together we are making things, exploring new materials, learning new techniques. We are carding, dyeing and spinning wool, making our own yarn and knitting. We are making accordion books, masks, doing contour drawing, painting life size self portraits on a standing screen, letter pressing poetry, and making wire sculptures. After viewing textiles from India, Japan, and Africa, we created shibori curtains for the school. Creating art has been in an environment of supportive collaboration and camaraderie. We do have fun!
Yoga provides the opportunity to stop everything, let go of everything, especially the chatter of one's own mind, and to settle into a gentler and relaxed state of awareness. Guided movement sequences coordinated with breath encourage a visceral knowing of self. I think of my yoga practice as "cellular optimism" and would not want to live without it. Experiencing ourselves, being in the body, can be joyous, aesthetic and certainly invigorating. Personally, my life is made meaningful by making and seeking beauty, and moving within a healthy body. These are the things I hope to share at Nonesuch, and I am thankful for the opportunity to do so.
Art, Yoga
No man is an island, and what a pleasure it is for me to be at Nonesuch as yoga and art teacher sharing skills that I have found to be indispensable with our receptive and sensitive students. Together we are making things, exploring new materials, learning new techniques. We are carding, dyeing and spinning wool, making our own yarn and knitting. We are making accordion books, masks, doing contour drawing, painting life size self portraits on a standing screen, letter pressing poetry, and making wire sculptures. After viewing textiles from India, Japan, and Africa, we created shibori curtains for the school. Creating art has been in an environment of supportive collaboration and camaraderie. We do have fun!
Yoga provides the opportunity to stop everything, let go of everything, especially the chatter of one's own mind, and to settle into a gentler and relaxed state of awareness. Guided movement sequences coordinated with breath encourage a visceral knowing of self. I think of my yoga practice as "cellular optimism" and would not want to live without it. Experiencing ourselves, being in the body, can be joyous, aesthetic and certainly invigorating. Personally, my life is made meaningful by making and seeking beauty, and moving within a healthy body. These are the things I hope to share at Nonesuch, and I am thankful for the opportunity to do so.
Lynne Koplof
Director of Academics, College Counselor; Social Studies
My mission for 43 years has been to contribute to an educational environment that is collaborative, stimulating and supportive. A pivotal moment in my education at U.C. Berkeley came when a professor assigned us to design and carry out a research project on anything we wanted and to grade the project ourselves. This open-ended, seemingly radical approach to learning led me to rethink everything I’d known about the educational process. I decided to study one of the nation’s pioneering alternative schools, a place where children and teachers were relating and working together in a new paradigm, jointly responsible for learning. I knew then that this was the path I wanted to follow, and I founded Nonesuch School with this guiding principle in mind.
Director of Academics, College Counselor; Social Studies
My mission for 43 years has been to contribute to an educational environment that is collaborative, stimulating and supportive. A pivotal moment in my education at U.C. Berkeley came when a professor assigned us to design and carry out a research project on anything we wanted and to grade the project ourselves. This open-ended, seemingly radical approach to learning led me to rethink everything I’d known about the educational process. I decided to study one of the nation’s pioneering alternative schools, a place where children and teachers were relating and working together in a new paradigm, jointly responsible for learning. I knew then that this was the path I wanted to follow, and I founded Nonesuch School with this guiding principle in mind.
Community-based Instructors
Tom Hyde
Math, Astronomy
I joined the Nonesuch faculty in 1984. One of my primary goals in teaching Math and Science has been to leave my students’ curiosity in tact. In addition to teaching the fundamentals, I enjoy using projects to help students apply math skills to real world challenges, such as our recent task of setting up the school's badminton court to exact dimensions. I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from U.C. San Diego, and have been a member of the American Philharmonic Orchestra since its inception, and currently serve as the orchestra’s principal trumpet. I’m also a founding member of the 5th Avenue Brass Quintet, and have performed with the San Jose Symphony, the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Baroque Sinfonia and the Healdsburg Community Band. I’ve carried my old cornet around the world, strapped to my backpack at 15,000 feet to play in the Himalayas, performing on the streets of Kathmandu, Copenhagen, Luang Prabang, Santorini, and Taitung. At home in rural Western Sonoma County, I’m known to gaze through my telescope and occasionally play free concerts for my neighbor's goats.
Math, Astronomy
I joined the Nonesuch faculty in 1984. One of my primary goals in teaching Math and Science has been to leave my students’ curiosity in tact. In addition to teaching the fundamentals, I enjoy using projects to help students apply math skills to real world challenges, such as our recent task of setting up the school's badminton court to exact dimensions. I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from U.C. San Diego, and have been a member of the American Philharmonic Orchestra since its inception, and currently serve as the orchestra’s principal trumpet. I’m also a founding member of the 5th Avenue Brass Quintet, and have performed with the San Jose Symphony, the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Baroque Sinfonia and the Healdsburg Community Band. I’ve carried my old cornet around the world, strapped to my backpack at 15,000 feet to play in the Himalayas, performing on the streets of Kathmandu, Copenhagen, Luang Prabang, Santorini, and Taitung. At home in rural Western Sonoma County, I’m known to gaze through my telescope and occasionally play free concerts for my neighbor's goats.
Darryl Vance
Visiting Art History Lecturer
An artist and professional designer specializing in motion graphics and print, Darryl earned his B.F.A. at The Atlanta College of Art with an emphasis on photography and video. He brings a wide knowledge of art history and contemporary media theory to his presentations at Nonesuch. Recent talks on artists David Hockney and Henri Matisse have prepared students to fully appreciate their field trips to the deYoung Museum and the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.
Visiting Art History Lecturer
An artist and professional designer specializing in motion graphics and print, Darryl earned his B.F.A. at The Atlanta College of Art with an emphasis on photography and video. He brings a wide knowledge of art history and contemporary media theory to his presentations at Nonesuch. Recent talks on artists David Hockney and Henri Matisse have prepared students to fully appreciate their field trips to the deYoung Museum and the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.
