“Because it's there.”
― George Mallory
Scaling the Face
In this section I decided to use the expression "scaling the face" because this section represents the courses that I felt made me challenge myself the most and make the greatest leaps from what I was familiar with to succeed. The mountain I chose was one of the Big 3 in Korea, Mt. Hala. An extinct volcanic mountain that is located on the Island of Jeju south of the Korean mainland. This is a mountain that most Koreans want to climb at some point in their lives but many have to give up because of the brutal weather that can shut down the climb in an instant. I have been lucky enough to climb it to the top twice and find that the reward of reaching the top is much like taking these courses. These courses were some of the most challenging and taxing ones that I took. Not because they were overly difficult but instead because they really pushed my limits and forced me to find ways around my own preconceptions about teaching to be successful. They perfectly fit the feeling you get when you are almost to the top, heart pounding, muscles screaming and eyes stinging with perspiration.