COE Instructor Corner: Hannah Ashby

On the student side of COE, we have had a busy semester! Outdoor Odyssey guides and trippers had awesome trips, student instructors had great classes, and Czars, Route Setters, and Wizards have been busy at the wall and in the basement! Through COE, we have another semester of incredibly powerful and enriching experiences and community. We talked to sophomore biology major Hannah Ashby about one of the classes she taught this semester, Basic Outdoor Rock Climbing (BORC) at Peterskill over Fall Break. Hannah teaches MANY different rock climbing classes, guides Outdoor Odyssey trips, and sets routes at Lindseth Climbing Center.How was your class this fall break? Tell us one fun/inspirational/challenging aspect of it.Class was great! We had 4 days of incredible weather for BORC, which was a major win. Climbing in sunshine with peak fall colors and perfect temps made for a good trip I would say. I think the challenging part was that students were a little hesitant to learn how to be self-sufficient, so it seemed like we were taking care of them a lot more than it felt like I had to take care of my Introduction to Outdoor Rock Climbing (IORC) trip.What does teaching rock climbing mean to you? How has COE impacted your climbing and instructing?Teaching rock climbing for COE is one of my most favorite things ever. Whatever kind of week I'm having, it is genuinely a time I really look forward to. I think it's such a valuable way to spread joy on campus and get students to push themselves and have fun! COE has made me a much more safety-attentive climber, as well as a climber that is more aware of their movements. COE has also made me a better instructor because when you are teaching you see first-hand which methods do and do not work for students and can vary your plans accordingly