The Teacher of Plate Tectonics

How do we know so much about the inner workings of our planet? What can the earth teach us about itself? Perhaps the first place to start would be some surface level knowledge. How does the ground beneath our feet operate? And if this is surface level knowledge, surely an expert isn't needed to explain it?! Well, armed with too much self-confidence and a strange array of demonstrations, I took it upon myself to become the teacher of tectonics.