Dandelion Academy

Humans have many talents, interests, skills, and passions. We are complex and multifaceted creatures. High-quality education allows us to bring our full selves to the table, nurturing our many different ways of knowing, being, and doing and honoring our humanity. This is why Dandelion Academy was created. Dandelion Academy supports educators who strive to create holistic, interdisciplinary learning environments, connect children to their whole selves, and nurture thriving communities. 

Why Dandelions?

Dandelions are incredible plants. Every part of the dandelion is edible – the flowers, roots, stems, and leaves. When we ignore or discard part of the plant, we’re missing out on wonderful things that could nourish us. The same can be said of our students. When they are encouraged to ignore or discard parts of themselves in order to succeed, they miss out on many wonderful things that could enrich their lives and inner worlds. However, when they bring their full selves to the table to learn, they are nourished in every possible way. 

The different parts of a dandelion can be used in many ways – eaten raw, made into teas, sautéed, baked into breads and muffins, tossed in a salad, used to make dyes, lotions, and medicines, and so much else! When we use each part of the dandelion, we find many ways that the different parts of the plant improve our lives. Similarly, when we nourish all facets of our students, honoring their complexity as humans, the possibilities are endless for how their unique constellation of skills and interests could contribute positively to their communities.

Each dandelion you see growing is also more than one flower. A dandelion head has around 100-200 florets on top of it, each of which is technically an individual flower. A single dandelion plant can produce up to 10 dandelion heads, which each then produce up to 200 individual flowers, so one dandelion plant could actually grow as many 2,000 unique flowers! Just like a dandelion, students can create many different ways of knowing, being, and doing when they are encouraged to grow into their full, multifaceted selves. 

Once fully developed, these 2,000 unique flowers then spread their seeds on the wind. Each of these seeds could possibly create their own 2,000 dandelion flowers, and so on. Just like a dandelion, when students learn to create and participate in thriving communities, they can spread their knowledge to help improve & nourish communities beyond their own.

Why Academy?

Plato founded the first “Academy” in 387 BC on the outskirts of Athens, Greece. In Ancient Greek, “Academy” is the “word for leisure, which in Latin is scola, in English school.”** School is meant to be leisurely. In the United States, we often associate leisure with vacation or hobbies. This isn’t quite true to the original meaning of the word, though. In Ancient Greece, “the Greek ideal of leisure [was] more than a mere vacation (literally to be unoccupied); it [was] a disposition of receptive understanding, of contemplative beholding, and immersion — in the real.’”** Leisure is a contented state, where we are free to explore, observe, and interact with the world in order to derive meaning, knowledge, and understanding from it. It is an open-minded state of being that allows for creativity & wonder to blossom. This is what I believe school should be for all students: a leisurely place that provides them with rich experiences & materials to explore, allowing them the time & space to creatively arrive at new ideas and develop knowledge.

** Citation Source: Paul Stonehouse, Pete Allison, and David Carr, “Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates: Ancient Greek Perspectives on Experiential Learning,” in Sourcebook of Experiential Education: Key Thinkers and Their Contributions edited by Thomas E. Smith and Clifford E. Knapp (New York: Routlegde, 2011), 19.

About the founder & coach

Kailina Mills, EdD, holds her doctorate in Leadership for Change from Fielding Graduate University. She received her M.Ed in Early Childhood & Elementary Education from Antioch University New England & a B.A. in Early Childhood Education, Outdoor & Experiential Education, and Inclusive Teaching from Goddard College. Kailina specializes in the Reggio Emilia approach, culturally-responsive pedagogies, and place-based & outdoor education — having taught for more than a decade with all of three these approaches in both public and private schools. She has worked in early childhood education (birth through Grade 3) for over 15 years, and began working as an instructional coach and learning specialist in 2022. She is currently the Director of a Farm & Forest School in Maine and is interested in the ways that early childhood education can be liberatory for students.