If you're not speaking of educators as a 'social class', then what are they?

What are the 'isolated' from? Life as a business person lives it? Yes, but the business person is just as isolated from life as educators live it. Teachers are not business people (usually) and business people are not teachers(usually). Neither is isolated from reality in any way. They both live and work in different parts of society. Both are equally important.
Your whining about academics being liberal makes as much sense as whining about the fact that business people are 'conservative'! Most people's political agendas align with their class interests. It is no surprise that a capitalist corporation hires Rush Limbaugh as a talk show host just as it is no surprise that people who work at public goods like education are going to speak out in favor of such public goods.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13