In recent years, there has been a lively debate on the state of schools. Two aspects have so far been discussed separately: the problematic status of the teaching profession, and interaction problems between teachers and students. These aspects have been considered in an inquiry involving 110 upper secondary school students. The analysis revealed severe criticism of teachers' actions and attitudes towards their students. Using this study as a basis, several theories are put forward - starting point for understanding the causes of the problems that have provoked students' criticism. These theories cover the following factors: interaction, the generation gap, relations between Human Service Organization Workers and their clients, and dissonance in the interaction between teachers and students. One particular implication is that teachers' inadequate professionalism may limit their possibilities to counteract the tendencies noted in the theoretical approaches mentioned above.