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Reclaiming Your Teacher Mojo

By Megan Allen

The moderator asked a real softball of a question of the teachers on our panel: "What can administrators do to better support teachers?" Easy, right? I should have whaled that one out of the park. But I didn't. It was a swing and a miss as I stumbled over my words. My tired brain fizzled out, right there on stage, in front of dozens of parents and colleagues.

I needed to make some changes.

I wasn't sure how or what, but I knew I'd think of it while sweating it out on the trails. I committed to a series of hikes over break and on weekends, visiting a different Florida state park each time. And 32 miles later, having trekked through cypress swamps and scrub, I had come up with some strategies to reclaim my teacher...