Longview ISD’s Foster Middle School Principal Chuck Isaac is determined to make an impact and inspire students to be whatever it is they want.
Isaac grew up in a low-income household and his teachers made an incredible impact on him, leading him to the career he’s in today.
Isaac recalls his life being changed with the help of East Texas educators.
“When I moved to New Diana I had a group of educators that believed in me more than I believed in myself,” he said. “I was always the kid who made good grades but we grew up pretty poor, and those teachers began to tell me that I could go to college and that I could use education to better my life.”
When thinking about the educators that believed in him, Isaac gets emotional and says education changed his life.
“It has provided me opportunities that I didn’t have as a kid. When I was a kid my parents would try to bring us on vacation and we would drive down to Daingerfield State Park and I’d go back to school and everybody would ask ‘What did you do this summer?’ … all the other kids would say they went to Disney and they went here and did this, and I never thought that was possible,” he said. “When I got into New Diana, they showed me that I could use education and make a better life for myself. I never dreamed this.
“I never dreamed that I could be where I am today, and I’m an educator because educators put a spark in me that nobody could put out.”
Isaac plans to be that individual for students at Foster Middle School, which will be under his leadership this year. He plans to help them strike a passion for education and belief in themselves.
“Now my goal as an educator is to show every kid, no matter where they are right now today, it can be better. The richest of the rich, they can get richer, the poorest of the poor can use this building and they can be whatever they want to be. That’s the greatest thing about education is what we put into it — the passion and the love for kids, and being really able to make an impact on kids.”
Isaac will be starting his second decade in the field of education and has worked in districts such as Fort Wort and Big Sandy ISD. He was born in Fort Worth but moved to New Diana in junior year of high school, which is where his East Texas roots were established.
When receiving the opportunity of the leadership role, Isaac said he was extremely excited for Longview ISD to consider him for the position.
“It’s a great school with rich academic traditions, so I was really excited when they thought I was the right person to lead the campus,” he said.
“Being in Big Sandy for eight years was great, it was a family. I actually student taught there (Big Sandy ISD) before I got into the career, so making the move here was leaving a place that I was very comfortable with, but I get the opportunity to be a part of the greatest school district in East Texas. Within that, to be the principal at a school like Foster is an amazing opportunity and I’m just really excited.”
Isaac said his biggest challenge will be becoming part of the traditions and the culture of the school, especially as being the “new guy” on campus.
“For this first year it’s going to be the process of really learning the campus, learning my staff and seeing what those traditions are. Then to make changes as needed… I’m coming into a very successful organization. I’m the new guy so my job is to let everyone know who I’m and know what my why is and why am I here,” he said.
Isaac is excited to be a Foster dragon and wants to bring a message to the parents letting them know that he plans on advocating for every student on campus.
“I’m going to bring the passion and energy every single day. I will treat each and every single student that comes to Foster with respect, love, you name it, I will; treat them like their my own kids with high expectations,” he said. “I will be an advocate for every single kid at this campus, it doesn’t matter what their demographic is, race, social economic status.”
He also mentioned that the campus is in the candidacy stage of becoming an International Baccalaureate (IB) school which will help focus on students as a “whole,” he said.
“What that allows us to do is not only focus on the education part of the kids but we also get to teach them on how to give back to the community and to be great citizens. I’m really excited that we’re going to focus on the whole child; their academics, social, emotional skills and just how to have a positive impact in the city of Longview and for the kids to eventually learn that their impact can be greater than the city of Longview to the state of Texas to the world,” he said.
For this upcoming school year, Isaac hopes to involve parents more and reconnect with them, especially after COVID-19, he said.
In order to achieve this connection among parents, he encourages them to follow Foster Middle School on Facebook, join the Foster PTA, and always feel welcome to email or call him.