I often draw parallels between my life as a math educator and my life as a climber. I believe that what makes someone good at math is the same thing that makes someone good at climbing (or any other activity for that matter). Determination, willingness to work on your weaknesses, and not being afraid of public and private failure top the list of necessary attributes.
Plus sign, gettin' swole
At one point, I actually brought Dave MacCleod's book 9 out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes to my math classes. I would read passages from it to my students, replacing the climbing terms with math terms. Here's an example:
Those who start (doing math) and find they are not as talented from the start should take heart at this phenomenon of (math) progression. The longer they keep at it, the more the playing field tips in their favor. Struggling from day one teaches you early to enjoy the moment of small daily successes, even if it's that you kept showing up and gave it everything. This is perfect training for later and higher (level classes)...
Now try to replace the words in parentheses with terms about golf, piano, or any other skill. The wisdom still applies, right?
@natalieclimbs, demonstrating the grit necessary for climbing (and math) improvement
I always tell my students that, while I'd love to believe otherwise, I'm not special because I'm good at math. I just worked really hard at it for a really long time. The social perception that certain people can get math and certain people can't is wrong, and it keeps a lot of people from succeeding in school.
I often need to remind myself about this with climbing. While they might seem superhuman, Ondra, Lightner, and Ashima have simply put in a lot more hours than me on the rock and in the gym. I started late in life, so I'll never catch up to those life-long climbers in training time... so maybe I shouldn't expect to ever send 5.15. But I am wise enough to know to focus on my weaknesses and to not be afraid to fail. And I learned a lot of grit as I struggled with math problems for hours in my college's library. That should go a long way.
Climbing hero, Ashima Shirashi showing off her little kid strength
As a student of rock climbing, I've learned that the difference between me and the pros is hard work and quality time committed. It's an empowering concept that I wish everyone would take to heart in their own lives. So in between my climbing training sessions, I'll be sure to share this message with the students training in my classroom.