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Page 7 tell a Haverford student who is resistant to the message of the Diversity Alliance. “I would just say put yourselves in a person of color’s shoes. And just think what daily life must be like for them. sNot even inside school, but outside school with coronavirus,” Deng said. “I’d say just the borderline if not completely hateful rhetoric that is so prevalent in the media today.” Some members of the Haverford community may find the Diversity Alliance’s outspoken criticism of the school offensive.
I would just say put yourselves in a person of color’s shoes. And just think what daily life must be like for them. BOWEN DENG ’22
The group would argue that it is not trying to undermine Haverford with their “safe spaces” and “affinity groups”; they are simply trying to make Haverford a better place than it currently is. The members of the Diversity Alliance are new leaders in a long line of civil rights activists who have called out injustice and worked to improve their community—whether it be their school or their country. James Baldwin, an icon of the civil rights movement, captured the benevolence be-
hind activists’ criticisms when he wrote in Notes of a Native Son, “I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”
Mr. Foust’s love for teaching sparked from a mishap in high school. Similar to Haverford, Mr. Foust’s high school—University School in Hunting Valley, Ohio—required students to complete a “senior project” prior to graduation. When his project fell through at the last moment, Mr. Foust decided to tag onto his friend’s work as a tutor at a local elementary school. He recalled saying, “Hey, can I just jump on the horse? I’m desperate,” and his friend replied, “Yeah, that’s fine.” Mr. Foust continued, “So that was my senior project, and I actually enjoyed it a little bit. It was really fun.” Upon graduating high school, he continued to teach as he joined the REACH program facilitated by his high school—a summer enrichment program for gifted African Americans around the Cleveland Public School System. As a member of the college faculty, comprised of college students, Mr. Foust had the opportunity to listen in on classes taught by mentor teachers in the morning and to teach his own class in the afternoon. He enjoyed his experience so much that he continued with the program for many subsequent years. “That was really where the teaching bug started,” Mr. Foust said. “I would say my whole trajectory came to this point because of that REACH program.” Outside of teaching in the History Department, Mr. Foust will coach the Speech and Debate team with Mr. Javier Lluch. He will also coach the Third Form Soccer team. Mr. Foust was drawn to Haverford by the faculty’s genuine care for the students that he observed when he visited and conversed with other teachers. “I just definitely got a vibe that there is this desire to care about the guys in a way that’s more than just, ‘Oh, he’s just a kid.’ We’re trying to create young men who are going to actually do something in the world and do something of value.”
Mr. Foust also appreciated the school’s faculty diversity, not solely in terms of race but in terms of passions and ideologies as well. Mr. Foust said, “We’re all so different, but at the same time we have the same goal. That’s something that I really value: if we’re on a team we want to have the same goal. We don’t want to have to deal with folks that are trying to do their own thing—that’s more detrimental than good. So I’m really excited to be working with the faculty.” Mr. Foust said, “I have a reputation for being very difficult, but at the same time, sophomore teachers are usually happy when they know that kids had me because they know certain things. So I take a lot of pride in that.” He has a simple teaching motto for his students, “do work.” In school, which he describes as a video game, Mr. Foust believes that the work one puts in during the early levels accumulates to help one through the final stages.
Mr. Foust joins as a game boss
MR. LAJUAN FOUST
Jeffrey Yang ’22
“V
ideo game boss” is not a metaphor that usually comes to mind when thinking about teachers, but Mr. LaJuan Foust embraces the character in his classes. This year, the history department welcomes Mr. Foust, who will teach Ancient and Modern World History. Mr. Foust joins the community after eight years of experience at several institutions, with roles as a current event and public speaking teacher at the Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts; an adjunct profes-
sor in the Communications Department at Massasoit Community College in Brockton, Massachusetts; and an Ancient World History teacher at Delbarton High School in Morristown, New Jersey. His five years of teaching Ancient World History has made adjusting to Haverford less difficult. Mr. Foust is excited to expand his knowledge in preparation for Modern World History. “There are definitely some areas that I like to nerd out about that I haven’t had a chance to; so that will be fun,” he said.
September 2020
Contact Mr. Jobs to join Diversity Alliance
... you need the XP for when you go to the next boss because ... you’re going to need every single bit of that—and then some.” MR. LAJUAN LAFOUST “It’s one of those games where you figure certain things out to beat that early level boss,” Mr. Foust said, “but you’re going to need those same ideas and things and tools that you picked up, and you need the XP for when you go to the next boss because, when you get to the next boss, you’re going to need every single bit of that—and then some.”
Mr. Brown returns to his roots Quinn Luong ’22
F
rom being a “superlifer” of Haverford’s Class of 2015 to having an affinity for the art of storytelling, Mr. Louie Brown returns to his alma mater with a passionate backstory that he hopes will give the students in his history and English classes the best experience possible. Mr. Brown has worked with students for most of his career, whether that be in the classroom or at summer camp. After attending Haverford since pre-kindergarten, Mr. Brown returns to campus excited to emit the same amount of enthusiasm he received from his own teachers. “By the time I reached the upper school, I made some strong relationships with my closest teachers at Haverford,” Mr. Brown said. “I had great role models who invigorated the zeal that I want to likewise translate to my students now.” Mr. Brown worked as a teaching assistant at various schools. These schools ranged from schools in Boston to even Mr. Stambaugh’s English IV class. Not far into his time as a teaching assistant, he felt a connection to Haverford and knew his fate was teaching here. “The most exciting thing for me is to
be back in a community of young students apart of a wide variety of different skill sets,” Mr. Brown said. “When I was a student at Haverford, you can tell the community is exceptionally good at recognizing each individual student’s talents.”
The most exciting thing for me is to be back in a community of young students apart of a wide variety of different skill sets ... MR. LOUIE BROWN Mr. Brown cannot wait to begin working with students, not only in their schoolwork, but also in helping them decide their careers and futures. “As we grow up, we transition and live different lives in what seems like parallel universes,” Mr. Brown said. “It is rewarding to
RHIANNON WALKER
Mr. Louie Brown holding kale plants he grew in New Zealand educate the you th, as they are the ones shaping the world as we know it.” While he faces the challenge of teaching both history and English classes, he is passionate about the interconnectedness of both subjects. “There is so much emotion and individuality in literature, whereas history complements the facts, data, and timelines to give a greater understanding of how life began,” Mr. Brown said.
While he may be six feet apart from his students, he acknowledges that in these times, we have to be empathetic towards one another. “Especially during tough challenges right now,” Mr. Brown said, “we need to prove ourselves and to our community that we care about each other’s presence and thoughts.”
