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.
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!
For the 2026/2027 school year, Mr. Rhodes will be teaching “WIN” (What I Need) for his small group time. Each student will have personalized academic tasks they will be working on.
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.
For the 2026/2027 school year, Mrs. White will be teaching Language Arts.
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.
For the 2026/2027 school year, Mrs. Sara will be leading “author studies” where students will take a deeper dive into specific authors, often times creating an art project or other engaging games to go along with each author. This was a big hit our previous school year!
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.
For the 2026/2027 school year, Ms. Lindsay will be teaching math.
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.
Cheri Hartzler, BA
Cheri holds a bachelor’s degree in social studies, secondary education. She previously taught at Bridgman Public schools. Her favorite part of teaching is seeing her students discover their passions and strengths.
Outside of school, Cheri's daughters are her world. Her days begin and end with their sweet faces and she loves homeschooling them and watching them explore, learn, and grow.
At Wild Roots, Ms. Cheri will be teaching social studies.
Abbey Garrick,BA
Abbey Garrick is a Michigan State University graduate with a degree in Elementary Education. She spent 11 years teaching at Bridgman Elementary School. Throughout her teaching career, she developed a passion for small-group instruction and individualized learning. She was determined to give her students meaningful learning experiences that met each of their needs, but most importantly, made them love coming to school each day.
After her youngest son was born, Abbey embraced her dream job as a stay-at-home mom. Today, her family is at the heart of everything she does. She loves adventuring and spending time with her husband, Jason, two sons, Jackson and Max, and dog Rocky.
Whether she’s working with students or spending time with her own family, Abbey loves creating connections, encouraging curiosity, supporting growth, and helping others discover the joy and fun in learning.
At Wild Roots, Mrs. Garrick will be teaching Science.