Craig Faulhaber, Math Instructor & Climbing Coach
"My name is Craig Faulhaber, and I am a community college math instructor and a rock climbing coach."
"When I was a math student in college, I struggled to understand my professors as they attempted to explain complicated concepts. Frustrated and confused, I’d leave class and head directly to the library. After hours of struggle on my own, the concept would finally click."
"Achieving this understanding didn’t give me a feeling of elation or triumph, but one of confusion. I’d think, 'Why didn’t my professor just say that? Did it have to be so complicated? Was the professor invested in us, or were they just interested in doing their own research?'"
"As a math instructor at a community college, I feel that I get a chance to correct some of the issues I faced as a student, and to provide a better learning experience for others. I find the process of simplifying and clearly explaining difficult concepts to be challenging and rewarding on its own. But I also get to connect to students on a level that I didn’t feel from my own instructors. I take a light-hearted and more personal approach to class to reduce some of the math anxieties that many students have built up over the years. And without concerns of teaching at a university like grant-funding, publishing, and tenure, I can focus entirely on students."
"Coaching climbing actually has a lot of similarities to teaching math. Both are difficult and often frustrating activities that require a willingness to fail, an ability to work on weaknesses, overcoming anxiety, attention to detail, and a whole lot of grit. Helping students with math and climbing are both art forms that require varying degrees of gentle pushing, encouragement, correction, and kindness."
