Schoo social studies teacher sings history to life

Cody Thatcher is definitely not a vocal music teacher.

“I can’t sing at all,” said the seventh-grade social studies teacher from Schoo Middle School.

What he can do is teach history - and teach it very creatively. Thatcher is known among students, colleagues and parents for incorporating history lessons into parody versions of popular songs. Under the alias DJ Thatch, he writes the lyrics, records the songs, then posts them as YouTube videos with the lyrics displayed on the screen while the song plays.

Thatcher is the subject of the latest episode of “Stories from Lincoln Public Schools,” the new weekly podcast about the people, activities and programs that make LPS so special. This episode includes snippets of Thatcher’s songs during an interview in which he talks about how he started writing these parodies, how they have evolved and how they help him connect with students.  

So far he’s recorded four songs:

• “Silk Road Anthem,” a parody of “Dirt Road Anthem,” by Jason Aldean. Thatcher’s version focuses on the ancient network of trade routes formally established during the Han Dynasty of China. This was Thatcher’s first song, recorded during the 2017-18 school year. It’s still his most popular, with more than 1,000 views on his YouTube channel.
• “That’s How I Live That Caesar Life,” a parody of “That’s What I Like,” by Bruno Mars. The DJ Thatch remake includes the lyrical gem, “Republic to empire, overnight/I’ll be dictator for life/That’s how I live that Caesar life, that Caesar life, that’s how I live that Caesar life, that Caesar life/Great statues honoring my life/Paved roads and Coliseum fights.”
• “Alexander,” a parody of “Blank Space,” by Taylor Swift. This instant classic offers a four minute, 13 second overview of the life of Alexander the Great from Macedon.
• “The Crusades Are Finally Over,” a parody of “Closer,” by the band Chainsmokers. Thatcher’s version includes the lyrics, “Christians lost Palestine and Antioch/’Cause Pope Innocent won’t stop/No Pope Innocent won’t stop.”

Thatcher’s parodies play off popular radio songs that most middle school students would recognize. Something they can already hum.

“I’ve had tons of kids say that during tests, or when they need this information, they can play the song in their head,” he said.

His fellow teachers play the songs in their classrooms. You can occasionally hear one of them blaring from the Schoo gym during a physical education class. Students have been known to play his music in the car on their way to and from school.

Thatcher has nine more songs in the bank. His next release, “In My Paintings,” covers the Renaissance and is sung to the tune of “In My Feelings,” by Drake.

His work as DJ Thatch is just one way he tries to make history fun and engaging for students. He sometimes wears costumes that relate to the material they’re studying. Earlier this week he dressed as a plague doctor - complete with black robe and beaked mask - for their unit on the Black Plague. He’s also donned a white toga with a gold-colored sash as he welcomed students to “Caesar Thatcher’s Classroom.”

“The biggest compliment I get from kids at the end of the year is, ‘I never liked social studies until I had you,’ or when parents say, ‘I wish you would have been my social studies teacher.’ History gets a bad rap for being boring - and it can be boring if you choose for it to be boring. I refuse for it to be boring.”

To learn more about DJ Thatch, including his journey to being the innovative teacher he is, listen to the latest episode of the LPS podcast, "Stories from Lincoln Public Schools."

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