Students hollering at each other during a warm-up activity with Spanish pop music playing over them: this must be the language hall.
Peer inside his classroom at any time of day and find a passionate group of students laughing and debating in Spanish: this classroom belongs to none other than Mr. Javier “Profe” Lluch and his infectious love of learning.
Beginning in Spain, then working in Toledo, Ohio, for five years, Mr. Lluch sought to make a change. Although he interviewed at schools across the country, Haverford immediately stood out among the others. That fateful day, he watched a student’s Reflection in Centennial Hall.
“Such a level of vulnerability was really impressive for, you know, somebody their age,” Mr. Lluch said.
As he moved into this new and unfamiliar area, Mr. Lluch thrust himself into responsibility.
“They had me helping out with Model UN, which was good. They had me helping with the prom, which was not good. I’m not good at that,” Mr. Lluch said.
During his time advising Model UN, he was able to observe the speech and debate team during their late-night practices and was immediately captivated by the activity. He decided to co-counsel the activity, yet neither Mr. Lluch nor his colleague had done speech and debate.
“We started just relying on the captains, and we learned a ton along the way,” Mr. Lluch said. “This effort has paid off tremendously, as the school has sent several teams to the Pennsbury State tournament and even more to district qualifiers.
Still, debate never fully satiated Mr. Lluch’s love for academia. A few years ago, he revitalized Quiz Bowl after inspiration from an old colleague from Ohio. Quiz Bowl had been an activity that had lain dormant for several years.
Mr. Lluch has also maintained his love for travel throughout the years. Ever since his time in graduate school, he has constantly travelled as both a teacher’s assistant and a faculty member during trips abroad. Mr. Lluch described Haverford’s global studies program as seamless.
“We have a dedicated person here who is in charge of that, and we also put our learning goals at the forefront,” Mr. Lluch said.
Mr. Lluch emphasized the importance of exchange rather than mere tourism, arguing that the student relationships, whether it be between La Farga or Tainan First Senior High School, are the most valuable parts of the trip.
“[Global studies and exchange programs] will really take you out of your comfort zone in the most extreme kind of way, because you’re in a different country with a different family, you don’t necessarily speak a language that well,” Mr. Lluch said.
Back on campus, however, Mr. Lluch places a similar importance on curiosity and risk-taking. With the rise of technology, many language teachers have shifted their programs so they are not easily abused by students’ use of artificial intelligence. Mr. Lluch opted to rely solely on pencil and paper to avoid translations and AI tools.
This is not to say that language learning and technology cannot go hand in hand.
“I need to just take a look at it and find, you know, what are some ways that I can use it that will make it more efficient and where I can have technology helping students in a way that’s really promising,” Mr. Lluch said.
“It feels like our program is way more focused on communication and culture, not so much on repetition and accuracy and stuff like that.”
Mr. JAVIER LLUCH
In fact, the presence of technology has made him and fellow language teachers shift their courses to focus on other elements of learning.
“It feels like our program is way more focused on communication and culture, not so much on repetition and accuracy and stuff like that,” Mr. Lluch said.
Above all else, Mr. Lluch is thankful for his colleagues and students who have helped support him.
“When I first came here, I had no idea what the school was like at the end of the culture. Having people around that are supportive was really helpful,” Mr. Lluch said.
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