Our Educators
At Wild Roots, we do not separate our students into “grade levels” with traditional teaching roles. Instead, our educators teach specific subjects and we organize our students by their ability levels. For example, we have a math teacher and they will see all the students throughout the morning. If a student is in “level 1” for math, they may be in “level 3” for language arts. Not only does this allow us to meet our students where they are at, it also allows our entire staff to work with each student at Wild Roots.
Emily White, M.Ed
Emily has dedicated the past 22 years to being an educator, 12 years in the classroom and 10 at home with her four children. She began her career teaching in inner-city Detroit before moving to Lakeshore Public Schools, where she has served as a classroom teacher and most recently as an ELL teacher (English Language Learner).
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with an Early Childhood endorsement, a Master’s degree in Reading and Language Arts, and a TESOL certification. Emily is especially passionate about creating meaningful learning experiences that blend strong academics with outdoor exploration, curiosity, and hands-on discovery.
Outside of the classroom, Emily loves spending time outdoors and just being with her family wherever that might be - but usually it’s at one of their many sporting events.
Ricky Rhodes, M.Ed.
Ricky has spent the last 14 years as a special education teacher in Chicago Public Schools and at Lakeshore Middle School. He spent the 2024-2025 school year teaching preschool at Muddy Puddles before starting Wild Roots alongside his wife, Angela. Along with their 3 children, Ricky aims to live life to the fullest each and every day!
Ricky is looking forward to bringing his classroom experience, joy for teaching, and a positive, high-energy enthusiasm to Wild Roots!
Sara McDonough, BA
Sara holds a bachelor’s degree in Family Studies with teaching certifications in the Montessori philosophy. She believes in doing education a little differently than the norm. She homeschools all three of her children. Sara loves to read, travel, make memories, and be cozy.
Lindsay Martin
Lindsay has spent the last 25 years nurturing, teaching, and empowering children as a community swim instructor, nanny, and homeschool mom. She lives for those “light bulb” moments- the joy on a child’s face when they realize- ‘I can do this!’.
Lindsay is the happiest surrounded by nature, getting her hands dirty in her garden, or spending quality time with her loved ones.
Angela Rhodes, MSW
Angela has a master's degree in school social work and 16 years of experience as an educator. She started her home-based preschool, Muddy Puddles, in 2021 after seeing a need in the community for outdoor, messy, engaging programs.
In addition to her administrative role at Wild Roots, Angela will continue to teach at Muddy Puddles, offering preschool for children 3-5 years old.