Being a teacher is not an easy job. If it’s done right and one really cares about their students, the teacher will be in for lots of work and long hours in a job where trying to impart knowledge can be hit or miss. Even if a teacher manages to imbue their students with the information that they’re teaching, there will always be administrations getting in the way. Not all administrations are bad, of course. They’re a necessity for any educational system. The Lubbock Independent School District however, does not fall into the “good” category.

I spent my entire public schooling career in LISD, and in that time I had teachers that I absolutely loathed and teachers that I still admire to this day, as most students probably did. Finding public school teachers that are truly dedicated to their profession for long hours and mediocre pay is increasingly difficult, and many teachers aren’t finding it worth it to stay in LISD anymore. They knew the problems with the profession going in but did it anyway. Now the administration is making it unbearable.

High Schools in LISD are run on block schedules, which is fairly common. Before this year, the teachers had two conference periods, coming out to one per day. This gave them a chance to talk with parents, help other students, get their lessons ready, and grade a few hundred papers. Someone within the confines of the LISD central office, or the “Ivory Tower” as I like to call it, decided to take away one conference period per eight classes to give the teachers one extra class.

This not only increases their workload, but reduces their time in which to do it. This results in ticked off teachers who either unfortunately take out their angst on their students or leave the district entirely. This not only makes the teachers’ lives much more difficult, but it affects the education given to the students of LISD.

I visited my old high school recently and talked with some of my old teachers. None were happy with their current situations at all, and the general mood of the school was angry. Not only did they integrate the ninth graders into the high schools when the campuses were not ready, but now they’re cutting their work time as well. The general teacher malaise is district-wide. This affects the students as well, but then again, I don’t remember when the students actually mattered for the administration of LISD.

LISD is not interested in teachers and administrators who are passionate about their jobs, but the advancement opportunities for yes-men are endless for those that are more interested in promoting the district’s pet projects, whether they’re harmful or not. The administration is way out of touch with what the teachers and students need, and can’t see outside of their own interests.

The district is also less successful than many others in the area, despite having a good amount of money. In the 2006 State Public School Accountability Rankings, which is based on the students’ performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test (TAKS), graduation and dropout rates. Lubbock ISD only had 6% ranked exemplary, in comparison to San Angelo’s 17%. LISD had 35% ranked as recognized, 53% acceptable, and 6% unacceptable.

While I don’t really like standardized testing, these numbers show that something isn’t working with LISD, and the administration is not letting the teachers fix it. Quite a few teachers are required to follow a certain curriculum that has been consistently unsuccessful, and the district apparently doesn’t appreciate the calls to change the system, resulting in these low scores.

Even in the light of these low scores, LISD superintendent Wayne Havens, who technically isn’t even qualified to be a superintendent, claims that he’s happy that these results top 2005. I’d love to get paid 200 thousand a year as he does in his job to continue the glorious standard of mediocrity that Lubbock ISD has held. I’m sure that the dingy standard will be upheld with Haven’s successor next year.

If this district wants to keep any decent teachers, they must get their act together and start working with the teachers for the students. When the teachers get dictated to from people that don’t care about them or their students’ education, it affects the entire district. When the LISD administration begins giving a damn about their students and teachers, the district will get better. Until then, they can keep living down to their current standards.