Paradoxically, although major forces in society are pushing for improvement in the American educational system, many teachers experience job overload, isolation, and increasing despair. This book is the first in a trilogy designed to help teachers and principals fight for fundamentally positive changes that will benefit themselves and their schools. It is based on the notion that teachers and principals must act as moral change agents and presents some of the core starting points and most powerful levers for change. Chapter 1 begins with an examination of problems in the teaching profession that are a symptom of the tension between bottom-up and top-down reform. The second chapter, entitled "Total Teachers," depicts teachers in a holistic perspective, both as individuals and as people experiencing a 35- or 40-year career. The third chapter, "Total Schools," examines the social and working conditions of teachers and principals. It describes the paradox of individuality and collegiality, showing the strengths and weaknesses of each. The cultures of individualism and collaboration must be reconciled in ways that draw on what each has to offer for improving schools. The final chapter focuses on what to do to improve the situation, offering "guidelines for action" for teachers, principals, and for other educators who work outside the school. The challenge is to develop interactive professionalism in the schools so that teachers can achieve the goal of continuous school improvement. (Contains 84 references.) (LMI)