What's it like to be a teacher today, and why are so many teachers leaving the profession nationwide? Our guest is the journalist, bestselling author, and education expert Alexandra Robbins. Her new book is an engrossing, year-in-the-life account of three teachers across the US. The book follows Penny, a southern middle school math teacher; Miguel, a Special Ed teacher in the western US; and Rebecca, an East Coast elementary school teacher. For this important book -- which The New York Times called "infuriating and heartbreaking" -- Robbins also interviewed hundreds of other teachers nationwide in order to craft a thorough, well-considered account of what's really going on in America's schools. Per The Washington Post: "Never before have I read any work that so clearly depicts the current realities of teaching in America's public schools.... For those who seek a fuller understanding of what educators are coping with these days, [this book] should prove invaluable. And for those who most need to read it -- those in a position to effect change in the lives of conscientious and talented teachers who are considering abandoning the profession -- one can only hope that its message will be heeded before it is too late."