One Tired Teacher With Trina Deboree

Trina Deboree
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One Tired Teacher is a podcast that helps teachers trust themselves again. Through honest conversations about reading, STEM, classroom life, and the realities of teaching, each episode reminds educators that their judgment, relationships, and humanity matter more than ever. Because great teaching doesn't come from doing more—it comes from trusting what you already know and allowing yourself to be supported along the way.

  1. 22h ago

    STEM Story Boxes for the Classroom: Easy Setup Guide | 315

    STEM Story Boxes for the Classroom: Easy Setup Guide Want STEM Story Boxes that are ready to grab and go — no last-minute scrambling required? In this video, I'm walking you through exactly how to set up STEM Story Boxes for your classroom, plus sharing a mix of themed and general challenge ideas your students will beg to do again. Whether you're building boxes around a specific book or keeping them open-ended for any unit, this setup works for K-2 classrooms and STEM/makerspace teachers looking for high-engagement, low-prep activities. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐱. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦. 𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡. 🎁 FREE SIMPLE STEM STORY BOXES SUPPLY LIST DOWNLOAD: https://www.trinadeboreeteachingandlearning.com/stem-story-boxes 🔨 STORYBOOK STEM CHALLENGES: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/trina-deboree-teaching-and-learning/category-stem-story-boxes-1634365?view=gridview&utm_source=YouTube%20OTT%20315&utm_campaign=stem%20story%20box%20cat 📚 MO WILLEMS STORYBOOK STEM: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Pigeon-Has-to-Go-to-School-STEM-Activities-Elephant-Piggie-Bundle-K2-9936967?utm_source=YouTube%20OTT%20315&utm_campaign=mo%20willems%20bundle 🧰 MY FAVORITE SIMPLE STEM MATERIALS: https://amzn.to/4gJBdhc This October on One Tired Teacher, we're talking about Protecting Childhood and making room for the experiences children need: wondering, playing, investigating, building, creating, and thinking for themselves. Next week: Halloween STEM Projects for Elementary Students That Start With a Story Use what fits. Leave the rest. Support the show Need a fully developed STEM Curriculum for 2nd grade with a heavy focus on reading and science? I've got you covered.   👉  2nd Grade STEM Curriculum | NGSS Science Units & Lesson Plans Subscribe and Review: Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. Click here for iTunes. Now, if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review. Click here to leave a review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review.”  Thank you!

  2. Sep 28

    STEM Story Read Alouds: Why Stories Shouldn't End at "The End" | Episode 314

    STEM story read-alouds turn picture books into hands-on learning as children build, solve problems, create, and keep the story going after the last page. What if the last page of a read-aloud wasn't really the ending? What if it was the invitation? In this episode of One Tired Teacher, we're talking about STEM story read alouds and how a great picture book can become the beginning of an experience that invites children to build, imagine, solve, and create. You'll also hear the story behind 20 STEM story boxes I recently created for children whose families are working to get back on their feet. Each box included an Elephant & Piggie or Pigeon book, simple STEM materials, and a Storybook STEM challenge. While building those boxes, I realized I wasn't really sending STEM materials. I was sending possibility. Because a STEM book read aloud doesn't have to end with comprehension questions or a worksheet. Stories naturally invite children to wonder: What would I do? How could I solve this problem? How would I build it differently? That's where a STEM story becomes something children don't simply hear. They experience it. We'll also talk about an important difference between a STEM challenge and a craft. Instead of having every child create the same project, give students the freedom to develop their own ideas and solutions. You don't need an elaborate makerspace or expensive supplies to get started. Some cardboard. Some tape. Some imagination. And one really good story. That's enough. Whether you're looking for a STEM story read aloud, STEM story time, a creative first grade read aloud, or a hands-on way to extend a second grade read aloud, I hope this episode reminds you that stories don't have to end when you close the book. Sometimes that's where the real learning begins. The recorded episode strongly supports this framing: you move from the STEM-box story into Storybook STEM, creative problem-solving, the difference between a challenge and a craft, inexpensive STEM materials, empathy through stories, and your Mo Willems Storybook STEM resources.  Links Mentioned in the Show: STEM Storybooks: Elephant, Piggie, and Pigeon Bundle Support the show Need a fully developed STEM Curriculum for 2nd grade with a heavy focus on reading and science? I've got you covered.   👉  2nd Grade STEM Curriculum | NGSS Science Units & Lesson Plans Subscribe and Review: Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. Click here for iTunes. Now, if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review. Click here to leave a review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review.”  Thank you!

  3. Sep 21

    Online Safety for Elementary Students: Why Character Matters More Than Technology | Episode 313

    Online safety for elementary students is about more than passwords and devices. Digital citizenship starts with safety, kindness, and character. Technology changes every year. Character doesn't. When we teach digital citizenship and online safety, it's easy to focus on the rules: don't share passwords, don't click suspicious links, and don't talk to strangers online. Those lessons matter. But our elementary students also need to know how to treat people, recognize when something may not be true, think before they respond, consider another person's perspective, and understand that their choices leave a digital footprint. In this episode of One Tired Teacher, we're looking at online safety for elementary students through a different lens. What if digital citizenship isn't simply about raising children who know how to use technology safely? What if it's about raising children who know how to be good neighbors—online and off? We'll talk about why digital citizenship for elementary students belongs in every classroom, not just the computer lab, and how internet safety can include conversations about empathy, responsibility, discernment, and kindness. You'll also hear a simple four-part framework for teaching digital citizenship: Pause — before you post, respond, react, or believe. Perspective — how might someone else experience these words? Responsibility — our choices leave footprints online and offline. Kindness — every screen still has a human being on the other side. Because children don't just need another list of internet rules. They need opportunities to think, talk, wonder, and practice what it means to be a kind human in a digital world. Technology doesn't change our character. It magnifies it. And maybe the question isn't only whether our children know how to use technology. Maybe we should also be asking: Are they becoming the kind of people others feel safe learning beside—online and off? Links Mentioned in the Show: Digital Citizenship and Online Safety K-3 Bundle Support the show Need a fully developed STEM Curriculum for 2nd grade with a heavy focus on reading and science? I've got you covered.   👉  2nd Grade STEM Curriculum | NGSS Science Units & Lesson Plans Subscribe and Review: Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. Click here for iTunes. Now, if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review. Click here to leave a review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review.”  Thank you!

  4. Sep 14

    Teaching Science in Primary School: Why Curiosity Comes Before Content | Episode 312

    Teaching science in primary school starts with curiosity, exploration, and questions—not simply giving children all the background knowledge first. What if one of the best ways to teach science is to stop giving students all the answers before they've had a chance to ask the questions? In this episode of One Tired Teacher, we're talking about teaching science in primary school and why curiosity may need to come before content. When teaching science in Grade 1, Grade 2, and the elementary grades, limited instructional time often means science gets squeezed into the reading block. We read informational texts, teach vocabulary, build background knowledge—and sometimes never make it to the exploration. But children are natural scientists. They notice. They wonder. They ask questions. They test ideas, gather evidence, change their thinking, and try again. Instead of always beginning a science lesson with "Today we're learning...", what might happen if we started with: What do you notice? What do you think? What do you wonder? We'll talk about how hands-on exploration can change the way children experience science, why informational texts can start an investigation rather than finish one, and how curiosity helps build deeper learning and human connection. Whether you're teaching science in primary school, teaching science Grade 1, or looking for meaningful ways of teaching science in elementary grades, this episode is a reminder that you don't have to have every answer. Sometimes you simply need to give children something worth wondering about. Links Mentioned in the Show: STEM First Grade Curriculum Unit Complete STEM Curriculum Units for Second Grade Support the show Need a fully developed STEM Curriculum for 2nd grade with a heavy focus on reading and science? I've got you covered.   👉  2nd Grade STEM Curriculum | NGSS Science Units & Lesson Plans Subscribe and Review: Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. Click here for iTunes. Now, if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review. Click here to leave a review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review.”  Thank you!

  5. Sep 7

    Community Building Activities for Elementary Students That Actually Build Connection | Episode 311

    Community-building activities for elementary students don't have to be complicated. Learn how simple conversations build connection and belonging. Classroom community building isn't about finding the cutest icebreaker or adding one more elaborate back-to-school activity to your plans. It's about helping children answer one very important question: Do I belong here? In Episode 311 of One Tired Teacher, we're talking about community-building activities for elementary students that actually help children connect. You'll learn why simple conversations, shared laughter, different opinions, and even Would You Rather kids' questions can help turn a classroom full of individual children into a community. An activity doesn't build classroom community just because we call it a community-building activity. The connection is the part that matters. In this episode, we'll talk about: Why belonging comes before many of the academic risks we ask children to takeWhat actually makes classroom community-building activities effectiveWhy low-pressure conversations are especially powerful for quieter studentsFour things to look for when choosing community building activities for elementary studentsHow Would You Rather questions for kids can create a safe doorway into conversationWhy connection and trust aren't separate from learning—they help make learning possibleWould You Rather Classroom Community Resource One of my favorite ways to create low-pressure opportunities for connection is through Would You Rather questions for kids. They give elementary students a reason to listen, laugh, share opinions, explain their thinking, and discover things about their classmates—without asking them to reveal something deeply personal before they're ready. I've created a Would You Rather bundle that teachers can use for classroom community, morning meetings, brain breaks, discussion, and eventually opinion writing. “There's a place for me here.” Support the show Need a fully developed STEM Curriculum for 2nd grade with a heavy focus on reading and science? I've got you covered.   👉  2nd Grade STEM Curriculum | NGSS Science Units & Lesson Plans Subscribe and Review: Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. Click here for iTunes. Now, if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review. Click here to leave a review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review.”  Thank you!

  6. Aug 31

    Teacher Planning Tips That Protect Your Peace 310

    Teacher Planning Tips That Protect Your Peace are about more than organizing lesson plans—they're about protecting what matters most before your calendar fills up. If you're looking for practical teacher planning tips that reduce overwhelm while creating a more meaningful school year, this episode is for you. Every school year begins with good intentions. We want to try new ideas, improve our lessons, and give our students the best possible experience. But somewhere along the way, our calendars fill up, our priorities get pushed aside, and the things we love teaching often become "if there's time." In this episode of One Tired Teacher, we're talking about planning with intention, integrating subjects, protecting your time, and using The Trust Yourself Framework to make thoughtful decisions all year long. In this episode: • Why teacher planning starts with protecting what matters  • How integrating science and reading transformed my classroom  • Why STEM doesn't have to be "one more thing"  • The Trust Yourself Framework: Learn, Observe, Reflect, Adapt, Repeat  • How teacher flexibility creates more meaningful learning  • Why protecting your evenings is part of being a great teacher A meaningful school year isn't built by doing more. It's built by protecting what matters. If this episode encouraged you, subscribe and join me each week as we bring more humanity back to teaching. Resources Mentioned 2nd Grade STEM Curriculum & Science Units  Support the show Need a fully developed STEM Curriculum for 2nd grade with a heavy focus on reading and science? I've got you covered.   👉  2nd Grade STEM Curriculum | NGSS Science Units & Lesson Plans Subscribe and Review: Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. Click here for iTunes. Now, if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review. Click here to leave a review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review.”  Thank you!

  7. Aug 24

    Teachers Not Following the Rules | When Professional Judgment Matters More 309

    Teachers Not Following the Rules | Professional Judgment in Teaching explores why professional judgment matters more than perfect compliance. If you've ever wondered whether you should follow every curriculum script exactly as written or trust your instincts, this episode is for you. Teachers are natural rule followers. But children don't all learn the same way, and great teaching requires thoughtful flexibility. In this episode of One Tired Teacher, I share the classroom experience that changed the way I thought about curriculum, teacher judgment, and adapting instruction to meet students' needs. You'll also hear The Trust Yourself Framework, a simple process that helps teachers make thoughtful decisions without losing confidence in their professional expertise. In this episode: • Why children deserve thoughtful teachers—not perfect rule followers  • The classroom story that changed my approach to teaching writing  • Why professional judgment matters more than blind fidelity  • The Trust Yourself Framework: Learn, Observe, Reflect, Adapt, Repeat  • Why teacher flexibility is a strength, not a weakness  • How thoughtful iteration leads to better teaching and deeper student learning Curriculum can support great teaching. But the curriculum doesn't teach kids. Teachers do. If this episode encourages you, subscribe and join me each week as we bring more humanity back to teaching. The Trust Yourself Framework Learn. Observe. Reflect. Adapt. Repeat. Because great teaching isn't about perfection. It's about thoughtful iteration. Links Mentioned in the Show: 2nd Grade STEM Curriculum | NGSS Science Units & Lesson PlansSupport the show Need a fully developed STEM Curriculum for 2nd grade with a heavy focus on reading and science? I've got you covered.   👉  2nd Grade STEM Curriculum | NGSS Science Units & Lesson Plans Subscribe and Review: Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. Click here for iTunes. Now, if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review. Click here to leave a review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review.”  Thank you!

  8. Aug 17

    Teacher Identity and School Culture | Don't Lose Yourself This Year 308

    Teacher Identity and School Culture | Don't Lose Yourself This Year explores how school culture shapes teachers—and why protecting your identity matters just as much as supporting your students. If you've ever struggled to balance school expectations with your own values, this episode will remind you that you can be a team player without losing yourself. Every school has a culture. Great school cultures inspire collaboration, growth, and connection. But even healthy cultures can quietly ask teachers to sacrifice parts of themselves if they're not careful. In this episode of One Tired Teacher, we're talking about teacher identity, school culture, boundaries, work-life balance, and why protecting your joy, curiosity, and relationships ultimately makes you a better teacher. In this episode: • Why teacher identity matters more than ever  • How school culture can quietly shape who we become  • The importance of protecting your life outside the classroom  • Why boundaries aren't selfish—they protect your teaching  • How to support your school without losing yourself  • The connection between teacher identity, flexibility, and long-term joy You don't have to choose between being a supportive teammate and being true to yourself. Both are possible. If this episode encouraged you, I'd love for you to subscribe and join me each week as we bring more humanity back to teaching. Links Mentioned in the Show: Episode 306: Teachers, Trust Yourself  Support the show Need a fully developed STEM Curriculum for 2nd grade with a heavy focus on reading and science? I've got you covered.   👉  2nd Grade STEM Curriculum | NGSS Science Units & Lesson Plans Subscribe and Review: Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. Click here for iTunes. Now, if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review. Click here to leave a review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review.”  Thank you!

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One Tired Teacher is a podcast that helps teachers trust themselves again. Through honest conversations about reading, STEM, classroom life, and the realities of teaching, each episode reminds educators that their judgment, relationships, and humanity matter more than ever. Because great teaching doesn't come from doing more—it comes from trusting what you already know and allowing yourself to be supported along the way.

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