Passion & Purpose

TCTA State President Cristal Isaacks strives to make education better for students, staff

Cristal Isaacks always knew she would be a teacher.

While in high school in Muleshoe ISD in West Texas, she was part of a program that allowed her to visit younger students, and she loved making a difference in their learning.

It’s a feeling she still loves after nearly four decades as an educator, and that love is evident from the moment you meet her.

“Teaching has changed over these 40 years because the state always mandates certain things, but the concept of true teaching — challenging, questioning, inspiring, encouraging, and believing in every child — has never changed,” she says.

A proud Red Raider, Isaacks graduated from Texas Tech in 1987 and went right into teaching, accepting a full-time position at Roscoe Wilson Elementary in Lubbock two weeks into her first semester of student teaching at another Lubbock ISD elementary school.

After three years in Lubbock, Isaacks accepted a job in Levelland ISD, a small town a few miles west of Lubbock, where she’s been ever since. Her early career was spent in the classroom, teaching first and third grade before one of her sisters encouraged Isaacks to get a Master of Library Science, which she earned in 2004 from Texas Woman’s University. 

Isaacks now serves as Levelland ISD’s library coordinator, helping the district’s five campuses in any way she can. 

“My days are always different,” she says. “Sometimes I am actually teaching or reading in the libraries; other times I’m helping with acquisitions or book orders.”

She also seeks out new library programming to increase circulation and writes library policies and presents them to the Levelland ISD Board of Trustees. 

“I make sure each library is following policies and SB 13 requirements,” she says, adding that she also helps with the district website, coordinates security badges and does public relations and social media for the district. She’s also the spelling bee chair and heads up the annual Battle of the Books. 

With so many years in the classroom, Isaacks has no shortage of success stories and fond memories. She especially enjoys when students return as parents to tell her about the difference she made in their lives. One who stands out is Ashley Leaks, who says Isaacks helped her believe in herself and set her on a path to success.

“Some of the greatest ministries happen inside classrooms, where educators pour into more than a student’s education,” Leaks says. “They sow seeds of faith in the potential God has placed within each student.” 

The first in her family to graduate from college, Leaks is now an academic advisor at the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University, where she helps business students navigate their own educational journeys. She’s also a small-business owner committed to giving back through local scholarships and community involvement as she raises her three children.

“I am living proof that the kindness, consistency, and belief of a caring educator can become an important part of the trajectory of a student’s life,” Leaks says. “I know that who I am today is the result of God’s grace and the many people He has placed along my journey, and I am grateful that Mrs. Isaacks has been one of those people from nearly the beginning.”

Isaacks says she’s incredibly proud of Leaks’ journey, especially watching her become such a loving, wonderful mother. 

Family is very important to Isaacks. Her husband of 37 years, Paul, is a fifth-generation cotton farmer and their son, Kane, is continuing that legacy alongside his wife, Taylor, and their two children, Ivy and Atlas. Cristal loves spending time with her grandkids on the lake, and it should come as no surprise that one of her favorite hobbies is reading.
Isaacks also volunteers in the community, serving as president of the Levelland Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Lions Club.

“You know the saying, choose a job you love and you won’t have to work a day in your life. That fits me to a T,” Isaacks says. “I love my job. I still get to be with children, and I get to mentor and teach students as well. I fill in for librarians and love visiting libraries to read to and teach LISD students. No day is ever really the same for me as I might be half a day on one campus, and then the rest of the day on another campus.”

Regardless of which campus she finds herself working on each day, her goals are the same as they were 39 years ago. 

“Teach well. Pay attention to your students. Self-evaluate. Figure out why a lesson didn’t go well, and then fix it the next day,” she says. “Challenging, questioning, inspiring, encouraging and believing in every child has never changed and should never change. But educators can always do better!”

Striving to make education better is one of her goals as TCTA’s 2026-27 state president, a role she calls a longtime dream. 

“There are too many mandates for testing children,” she says when asked to name issues she’d like the state to tackle. “We test them to death. When in the classrooms and the libraries, and when teaching summer school, I can see students know the answers, that they understand, that they comprehend, but when they sit down in front of the computer to show what they know on a test, there is a huge breakdown! What students know and what they show they know are two different things.”

She also hopes to see more funding for public education, including pay raises for all educators, and says she’ll speak up and speak out as often as she can when the new session starts in 2027. 

Beyond being an advocate, Isaacks is excited for the year ahead and the opportunity serving as TCTA president brings to get to know more members.

“I have a genuine love for people and Texas educators and the incredible work they do every day for students,” she says. “One of the greatest joys of this role is being able to connect, network and build meaningful relationships with educators from every corner of our state. I look forward to listening to their stories, celebrating their successes, learning about the unique challenges they face and finding ways we can continue to strengthen our profession together. 

“Our educators are some of the most passionate, dedicated and inspiring people I know. I am honored to represent them, advocate for them and work alongside them as we continue building an even stronger Texas Classroom Teachers Association. Together, we’ll connect, grow, support one another and ensure that every educator knows they have a voice and a professional family in TCTA.”

This article appeared in the Summer 2026 issue of The Classroom Teacher.