By Cara Crawford and Ellie Grace Grinnan

When you walk into Pitt 106, you might expect a normal classroom experience, but you would be mistaken. As soon as you walk into Upper School history teacher Brain Justice’s (’85) classroom, you enter into what seems to be a different reality, where time seems to stop, and you are forced into the present moment. Through his authentic and compassionate personality, he effortlessly engages his students to encourage them to fully throw themselves into the material at hand. 

His classroom is also not what you would expect. It is quite literally a representation of his personality. Like a teenager’s bedroom, it is full of the things that he holds closest to his heart and is passionate about. From posters of his son, professional baseball player Evan Justice (’17), to the array of books, and his guitar in the front. Part of what makes his classes so engaging is that they incorporate the topics he is passionate about.

Photo credit: Cara Crawford and Ellie Grace Grinnan.

On Wed., March 25, we joined Justice’s E period Comparative World Religion class and got to experience his one-of-a-kind teaching style. As March 25 is exactly nine months before Christmas, the Christian celebration of Jesus’ birth, this flawlessly leading into a discussion of Jesus’ conception and the importance of discernment.

According to Justice, Jesus’ mother Mary is a representation of what it looks like to doubt, and then trust. In the New Testament, Mary both questioned and doubted the angel Gabriel when he told her she would give birth to Jesus. In the words of Justice, it is important to “think for yourself. Ask questions and doubt, don’t just blindly accept something.” 

Justice ensures that Collegiate students apply their knowledge from his class to their daily lives. After calling upon student Sophie Day Blackburn (‘27) about how she can apply Mary’s knowledge to her daily life, Blackburn simply replied, “Be curious.” This straightforward motto has the potential to guide students into new avenues and discover what is true.

In addition to Religion, Justice is currently teaching 9th Grade World History and A History of England (1901-1936), a history elective. It is apparent that Justice cares deeply about each one of his students. He sees people for who they are, truly individuals with a special gift to offer.​ He encourages and sees the gifts and passions in each student that get might lost when they become consumed with their own troubles and worries.

The next time you are strolling through Collegiate’s hallways, just know that there is a special place you can always go to and escape. You will know you’re there when you see a clock that says “NOW.”