One Tired Teacher With Trina Deboree

AI Can't Replace Teacher Heart—and that may be more important now than ever. In this episode of One Tired Teacher, we're talking about artificial intelligence in education, teacher judgment, and why human connection still sits at the center of meaningful learning. This is not an anti-AI episode. In fact, I use AI. I've used tools like Magic School to brainstorm ideas, generate vocab...

Summer break isn’t always ruined by big problems. Sometimes it’s the quiet habits that keep you tense, distracted, and oddly anxious even when you finally have time off. We’re talking about four sneaky mistakes that can mess up your summer mojo and how to avoid them with simple, realistic shifts that actually help teachers recharge.  We start with a practical back-to-school mindset: why having a l...

Summer break can look long on the calendar and still feel like you’re carrying school on your back. We’re talking honestly about why so many teachers start June exhausted and then spend the rest of the break “prepping” instead of recovering and feeling joy. If you’ve ever treated staying late as proof you care, or opened your laptop on a holiday because anxiety wouldn’t let you rest, this conversa...

Summer break can start and somehow you still feel like you’re on duty. If your body is home but your brain is still in the classroom, I made this one for you. I keep it simple on purpose, no new system, no productivity plan, just a pause to breathe and reconnect with yourself outside of teaching.  I tell the truth about what it looked like when I let the job become my whole life, starting with a b...

What would you tell the version of yourself who is trying so hard to do everything perfectly? I’m revisiting a Teacher Truth conversation I recorded years ago and adding what I’d tell myself now, with a clearer view of boundaries, identity, and what it really takes to stay well in this profession. We talk about why teaching cannot be your whole personality and why staying late should never be a ba...

Burnout is brutal enough, but the most disorienting version is the kind that lands even when we set boundaries, do the inner work, and try to teach in a grounded way. We talk about why that happens, why burnout is not an accusation, and how misalignment and masking can quietly drain teachers who genuinely care. I’m joined by Miriam Groom, founder and CEO of Mindful Career, a behavioural career the...

What do you do when the part of teaching that scares you isn’t the kids, it’s the adults with power? I’m replaying a conversation that stayed with me for a reason: it names the kind of educator pain we’re often pressured to keep quiet about. My guest (sharing anonymously as “Nancy”) describes what it feels like to be targeted, talked down to, and evaluated through systems that ignore the reality o...

May is when solid routines start to wobble, not because you suddenly forgot how to teach, but because the school calendar turns into a nonstop interruption machine. If your class feels unpredictable right now, I’m here with a calming reminder: you don’t need more end-of-year activities. You need a structure that holds the days together. I walk through how end of the year theme weeks bring novelty...

May can make even your strongest readers feel done, and that end of school year slide is exactly when reading starts to feel like a chore. I’m sharing a simple reset that keeps classroom reading calm, light, and genuinely enjoyable, so we can finish the year with connection instead of constant pushing. The goal is not to squeeze out one more checklist, it’s to make reading feel like something kids...

The last week of school can make the best teachers feel like everything is coming apart at once: grades due, rooms to pack, routines blown up by assemblies, and kids who are equal parts excited and dysregulated. I’m sharing a practical way to calm the chaos without adding more to your plate, so you can finish the year strong instead of crawling across the finish line.   We walk through a simple “c...

The sprint to summer for teachers doesn’t have to feel like a grind. We share a practical, energizing way to turn late-April restlessness into focused learning with themed STEM that honors where students are right now in the classroom. If you’re tired of cramming and watching behavior slide, this conversation offers a humane reset: clear routines, simple materials, and challenges that spark curios...

The last weeks of school for teachers don’t have to be loud, chaotic, or exhausting. We show how a simple theme week in the classroom can turn spring fever into focused fun, giving students a sense of ceremony while teachers keep learning on track and save their sanity. From campfires and reader’s theater to bubble science that leaves desks spotless, we map out a clear plan that blends excitement...

Spring brings sunshine and chaos in equal measure into the classroom for teachers—testing windows, field trips, allergies, family appointments, and that restless energy buzzing through the classroom. We dig into a practical, compassionate strategy for staying steady in the classroom: building reusable, ready-to-go sub plans that protect learning and your peace of mind. Instead of scrambling at 5 a...

Exhaustion doesn’t equal excellence in the classroom. We open up about the quiet message so many educators absorb—that the “best” teachers are the ones who stay late, skip sick days, and shoulder every shortage—and we trade that myth for a healthier, more sustainable practice. From oversized classes to shrinking resources, we name the systemic pressures that push us into martyr mode and offer a pl...

When the culture outside feels loud and divisive, we choose a different tempo inside our classrooms: slower, kinder, more human. We talk candidly about why connection is not extra, but essential, and how teacher judgment beats any script when a room needs care more than coverage. From quick 4C bell ringers that warm up collaboration and curiosity to morning meeting prompts that make respect a habi...

What happens when the loudest voice in education says “use AI” and the quietest voice—the one in your gut—whispers “trust your judgment”? We dig into that crossroads with honesty, naming both the power of new tools and the irreplaceable role of human presence, care, and professional discretion in the classroom. This is a conversation for every teacher who’s felt the pressure to comply when their e...

What if STEM wasn’t about bins of stuff, but about the humans in the room? We dig into a human-centered approach that treats STEM as a daily practice of connection—where students learn to collaborate, think critically, and care for one another while they solve real problems. Instead of chasing pricey kits, we start with stories and simple materials, then layer in the engineering design process to...

When the world shouts at teachers to do more, faster, and perfectly, we choose a different anchor: the small humans in front of us. A seven-year-old’s quiet kindness reframed an entire classroom and reminded us why presence matters more than perfection. From there, we unpack a practical roadmap for building connection that holds steady when mandates and programs feel overwhelming. We dig into the...

The outrage machine is loud, but your classroom doesn’t have to be. We’re pulling the focus back to what you can control: the students in front of you, the relationships you build, and the professional judgment that makes learning human. If you’ve felt crushed by scripts, shifting benchmarks, and the demand to standardize every slide, this conversation is a reset—heart first, performance next. We...

Testing season and evaluations can make even confident teachers question themselves. In this episode, we talk about how to stay grounded, trust your professional judgment, and teach from your values when pressure and opinions get loud. The volume gets loud this time of year—tests, evaluations, and opinions from people who have never stood in your classroom. We’re turning that noise down and turnin...

Overcomplicated STEM lessons don’t lead to deeper learning—they lead to burnout. In this episode, we unpack why simple, well-designed STEM challenges create stronger thinking, better engagement, and more meaningful classroom moments. Tired of feeling like STEM needs fancy kits, perfect conditions, and a superhuman level of classroom management? We break that myth and show how simple tools, real pr...

Looking for a simple way to teach growth mindset, productive struggle, and the engineering design process—especially during testing season? This episode shares a real classroom STEM challenge that shows how failure becomes feedback when students feel safe to try. What if the word failure stopped feeling like a verdict and started sounding like a clue? A chaotic testing schedule pushed us to improv...

February burnout hits hard for teachers—testing pressure, evaluations, and the constant push to do more can make even experienced educators question their worth. In this episode, we talk honestly about staying grounded, protecting your values, and teaching authentically during the hardest stretch of the school year. February can feel like a pressure cooker—testing talk, evaluation season, and the...

Teacher observations can trigger stress, self-doubt, and overperforming—especially during evaluation season. In this episode, we talk honestly about how to stay grounded, protect your confidence, and remember what actually matters when you’re being observed. If evaluation season ties your stomach in knots, you’re not alone—and you’re not a score. We take a clear-eyed look at how to stay grounded w...

Looking for Super Bowl reading activities that actually build skills—not just hype? This episode shares practical, low-prep ways to use football culture to strengthen informational text comprehension, media literacy, and engagement for elementary readers. Big-game buzz is already in the air, and we’re turning that energy into real reading growth. Rather than fighting for attention, we tap into wha...