The following is taken from a paper given at the 1990 NARE National Conference. In it Len Barton argues powerfully for the centrality of teachers in the process of schooling. Ifallchildren are entitled to a broad, balanced education it follows that the well‐being ofallteachers is equally important. In these difficult times Barton offers some constructive suggestions including the plea that teachers' accounts of stress be taken seriously and not dismissed as a series of unconnected insights. Too many teachers are involved for this to be so. The issues go beyond the personal to the structural. More than ever, teachers now need to collaborate and support each other and to liaise more effectively with parents. Crucially, Barton warns us, it is time for the professional associations to use democratic channels to demand those changes we all believe are necessar