Teacherland (n): my classroom, a sovereign state ruled by a benevolent dictator 😉
Hi, I’m Devin and I am a social studies teacher. Teaching my kids how a government works can be tricky but forming my own country has made the process a bit goofy but very memorable. I started my teaching career in middle school: two classes of 7th grade world history, starting the year with the Romans and their different government styles; 4 classes of 8th grade American history, revolving around popular sovereignty and building a democratic nation. Time after time, I found myself creating connections to how my classroom is run.
“This room is a pretty small nation but at least it’s mine!”
“Voting on HW? NO! Who here would actually vote for more vocabulary practice? Oh, what a surprise, no one. 😛 Now there’s an argument for monarchy- or at least a minimum voting age.”
“Hmmm, John Locke says the power of the government comes from the consent of the governed. Do you think that logic can be applied in here? Where does my authority come from? Help me dissect the power structure in the classroom as if we’re in the Enlightenment.”
With each year of new students, the lore behind Teacherland grew and I loved it. I loved sending ambassadors of Teacherland to the library to represent their beloved dictator well. I loved seeing high schoolers stopping me in the halls to ask how Teacherland fairs without them. I loved that when I duct taped a border around my desk during flu season and announced that a college degree and a teaching certificate were the official passports of the Teacherland capital of Teacherdesk and that all invading forces will be treated as such, that my students all laughed, respected my bubble, and did so in a goofy educational way.
I loved Teacherland and when I decided to take a few years away from my wonderful country so that I could try my hand at raising a little mini-me at home, I took many lessons with me. This blog serves as an outlet for a momma who misses her time in teacherland and wants to process all of the Teacherland Lessons she has brought with her. Some of these will be actual lesson plans that were created the night before a class and reused each year. Some of these posts will also be the lessons I learned from running Teacherland for 9 years and my process in getting back to Teacherland.
There might be a few lessons thrown in from my years in Toddlerland as I vie for power in this new country of mine 😉 *Lord, help me*
I hope this blog can help all of the rulers out there trying to lead their own Teacherlands well! As we say in Thailand, su su! Keep going!