This past week I noticed a storm brewing, and I am not talking about the snowstorm that swept through the Midwest. I'm talking about the indications of unrest found in the latestMetLife American Teacher Survey. The results were dismaying but not surprising to me. I've talked to teachers who, like most in their profession, care deeply for their students and weep with anger over the bureaucratic intrusions into their classrooms that prevent them from doing their best for those students. I've talked to teachers who say they can't afford to teach, and I've talked to teachers who are exhausted from the struggle to provide resources and attention to classes too large for students so needy.

I have also heard that the average salary of teachers has declined---declined for the first time in my lifetime. Their profession is not getting better for teachers. Politicians, education leaders, business CEOs, and parents must listen to teachers before serious damage is done to the public schools of America.

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