by Breanna Wood
I have had the pleasure of having Mr. Josh Justin as a teacher for both Biology and Chemistry. I took Chemistry a year ago with a different teacher, and was not able to comprehend the material which led to me having to repeat the class. Mr. Justin was always willing to put in extra work with me on things I didn’t understand, and he helped me excel in every area of Chemistry. He puts students’ learning first and is a well-loved and respected teacher by students, parents, and co-workers. Aubree Venture, a junior at Immanuel who has taken Life Science, Biology, and Chemistry from Mr. Justin said, “Mr. Justin makes the hard things easy. He doesn’t over-complicate things, and really makes sure you understand the material. His classroom has a fun environment but is constructive as well.”
Josh Justin
He is qualified with three BA degrees: Chemistry (minor in Biology), Philosophy, and Psychology. Mr. Justin has worked at Immanuel for five years, and has taught Biology, Chemistry, Life Science, Anatomy, Physiology, AP Biology, and AP Psychology. Principal Phil Goertzen described Mr. Justin as, “hard-working, dedicated, and meticulous for details. He relates well to students and is incredibly knowledgeable.” Justin reminisces on his favorite class to teach, stating, “I enjoy teaching AP Psychology because it is different material that most students are not familiar with. We are able to have discussions and the students really seem to enjoy the information that we cover.”
Goertzen acknowledged Justin’s natural teaching abilities, “Mr. Justin has definitely grown while here at Immanuel…he manages his time well and knows how to get the most out of students. He is patient and willing to give extra help or offer up his free time for students in need.” Justin explains the difficulties and advantages of working at Immanuel saying, “The toughest part about working at Immanuel is teaching so many different classes. However, I enjoy this because it helps to keep things interesting and it keeps me learning new material.” He also shared, “The most rewarding part about working at Immanuel is having the ability to talk about the Lord and my faith with students at any moment. I also enjoy the Christ-centered relationships that I am able to build with the students.”
Besides being dedicated to helping students excel in the classroom, he is in the middle of his first season as the Varsity Girl’s Head Basketball Coach. He was the Varsity Head Coach at Fresno Christian for two years before accepting the Job at Immanuel, where he became the Varsity Boy’s Assistant Basketball Coach for two years, and JV Boy’s Coach the next two years. He has admitted that transitioning from a boy’s team to a girl’s team has had its challenges, but all in all, is rewarding. “The hardest part about transitioning from coaching boys to girls has been figuring out how to communicate effectively with my players. The game of basketball is the same with boys and girls, but I am learning how to better successfully communicate with girls in order to help them understand what needs to be done or what they need to improve on.”
Goertzen, whose sophomore daughter also plays on Justin’s team said, “I value specifically the way he takes time to teach and explain concepts/skills to his players. He is very patient and consistent in his approach to the game.” Senior basketball player, Sophia March, shared her opinion on her new coach as well. “He likes to focus on our game and creates perfection from the strong attributes. We have tons of fun during our practices, but when we need to focus on getting better he will grab our attention to focus. Coach Justin likes to inspire us with a quote of the day, which he reads to the whole team before each practice, and tries to fit in devotionals whenever he can.”
Justin gave a short rundown of this season so far. “So far our season has been up and down, but we are continually improving. We have played a very tough schedule that included many Division 1 schools; the games will pay dividends when we get into the playoffs. I believe that we are just starting to play our best basketball.” He shared his goals for his team this year, stating that they are to, “honor God in all that we do. I also want the players to continue to improve both as individual players and as a team. And of course we plan to compete for a Division 4 Section title.”
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