Teachers Planning Next Year Without Losing Yourself: Protect What Matters Epiosde 305

Teachers Planning Next Year Without Losing Yourself: Protect What Matters Epiosde 305

Teachers planning next year without losing themselves start with one question: What is worth protecting? In this episode, we talk about planning with intention, not exhaustion.

Instead of adding one more system, one more routine, or one more thing to your already-full plate, this conversation invites you to pause before the school year begins and decide what matters enough to protect.

A meaningful year is built through intention, not perfection.

In this episode of One Tired Teacher, we're talking about how to prepare for a new school year without recreating the exhaustion you're still trying to recover from.

Instead of asking, "What should I add?" we're exploring a different question:

"What is worth protecting?"

We talk about teacher judgment, why there is no perfect system, and how to use tools like AI, curriculum programs, and teacher-created resources without outsourcing your professional expertise.

I also share why STEM became one of the things I intentionally protected in my own classroom—not because it was trendy, but because it created the kinds of moments I wanted more of: curiosity, creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, discussion, and joy.

If you're beginning to think about August, curriculum maps, lesson plans, and fresh starts, this episode is a reminder that you don't need to reinvent yourself to have a meaningful year.

In this episode, we'll discuss:

✨ Why adding more isn't always the answer

✨ The difference between planning and overplanning

✨ How to protect what matters before your schedule fills up

✨ Using AI, curriculum, and resources wisely without giving away your judgment

✨ Making time for STEM, read-alouds, science, and other priorities before they get pushed aside

✨ Why a meaningful year is built through intention, not perfection

As you begin planning for next year, remember:

Keep what worked.

Release what didn't.

Protect what matters.

Trust yourself enough to know the difference.

If this episode resonates with you, share it with a teacher friend and follow along for more conversations about bringing joy, humanity, and balance back into teaching.

Transcript

A Warning Before You Plan

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Before you start planning next year, make sure you don't leave yourself behind in the process. Welcome to One Tired Teacher. I'm Trina Debory. Today we're talking about teachers planning next year without losing ourselves, protecting what matters, or putting first things first, as some might say. Let's get started.

The July Urge To Start Early

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Okay, it's the end of July. And if you're anything like I was in the classroom, you're probably starting to think about next year, especially at the end of July. In fact, I usually started it after the 4th of July. Then I was like, okay, it's time to pay attention. Some years I would do June, I would plan in June and then take all of July off, but that never worked very well because last minute things came up. You know how it is. Anyway, so you're probably starting to think about that, or you're in the throes of it. And not necessarily planning every single detail, but thinking, reflecting, maybe opening a notebook, maybe looking at a curriculum map, maybe making a list of things you want to do differently. And I think that's wonderful. I

Stop Recreating Summer Exhaustion

SPEAKER_00 1:16

really do. But I also think this is the moment when many teachers accidentally begin recreating the very exhaustion that you've spent the summer trying to recover from. We start with good intentions. We want next year to feel better, calmer, more organized, more meaningful. So we start adding things, a new program, a new system, a new initiative, a new routine, a new strategy. And before we know it, we've built ourselves another overwhelming year. So today, I want to offer a different approach. Instead of asking, what should I add? What if we asked, What is worth protecting? Because

Use Tools Without Losing Judgment

SPEAKER_00 2:06

I think those are very different questions. A few weeks ago, I talked about AI, and I said something that continues to keep coming back up for me in my mind. Use AI if it helps. Use curriculum if it helps. Use teacher-created resources if they help. Usually there's been a lot of experience in them and they're doing it for you and the kids, just FYI. But don't outsource your judgment. I think that applies to planning too. Nobody knows your students better than you do. Nobody knows your strengths better than you. Nobody knows your classroom better than you. And sometimes we forget that. We assume someone else has the perfect answer, the perfect system, the perfect framework, the perfect schedule, the perfect Pinterest classroom. But teaching has never worked that way. Good teaching is deeply human. And human beings need flexibility. So instead of trying to build the perfect year, what if we focused on protecting the things that matter most?

Protecting STEM By Integrating It

SPEAKER_00 3:16

For me, one of those things has always been STEM. Not because STEM is trendy, not because one more thing I want to squeeze into the day, but because STEM creates the kind of moments I wanted in my classroom. Curiosity, creativity, collaboration, problem solving, discussion, joy. The challenge is that STEM is often the thing teachers plan to do later. We'll do it after reading, we'll do it after math, after testing, after everything else. And sometimes later never comes. That's one of the reasons I eventually started helping teachers build STEM into their curriculum. Instead of treating it like an extra thing to do, we integrated. I did that with my STEM bundle for second grade. I integrated science and reading, and then I sprinkled in the rest. Science and reading were the top things, and reading informational text was actually the driving factor. Because I realized something. The things that matter more or matter most usually don't happen by accident. We protect them, we schedule them, we make room for them. And honestly, that a lesson applies far beyond STEM.

Choose What Your Calendar Protects

SPEAKER_00 4:33

Maybe for you it's read-alouds.

unknown 4:36

My favorite.

SPEAKER_00 4:37

Maybe it's science. Maybe it's morning meetings. Maybe it's independent reading. Maybe it's simply leaving school at a reasonable hour. Whatever it is, decide now what matters enough to protect before the year starts filling up. Because your calendar will fill up. It always does. The question is whether it fills up with things you intentionally chose or things that simply happened to you. I think that's one of the biggest lessons teaching taught me. A meaningful year isn't built by doing more, it's built by being intentional about what matters.

Keep What Worked Release The Rest

SPEAKER_00 5:13

So as you begin thinking about next year, here's what I hope you'll remember. You do not need to reinvent yourself. You do not need to overhaul everything. You do not need to become a different teacher. Keep what worked. There's going to be things that have worked. Keep them. Release what didn't. Protect what matters. And trust yourself enough to know the difference.

Helpful Resources Without Pressure

SPEAKER_00 5:40

And if you're looking for ways to make STEM a more natural part of your year, I do have some integrated STEM and science units that were designed to fit alongside what teachers are already doing. Use them if they fit. And if you're still exploring AI or digital citizenship or the human side of technology, I'll link those resources as

Your Intention For First Things

SPEAKER_00 6:02

well. But before you go, I want to leave you with this. The teacher that walked into August rested, grounded, and connected to what matters most is already ahead. Not because you've planned more, because they've remembered who they are. If you like what you heard today or even this month, hit like, share the podcast with a teacher friend, and follow along for more. If you haven't joined me on YouTube, do that. Check it out. What do you think? I would love to know your thoughts on the YouTube channel. Are you liking it? I also want to know how you will make sure to put first things first this year. Drop it in the comments. Make a goal. Set it right now. Write it out into the world. Lay out your intention. Until next time, sweet dreams and sleep tight.