the positive spirit of john coates
Without a doubt, John Coates is the toughest guy I know.
When he was a teenager, he was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, a condition that attacks the peripheral nervous system. Over the years, he has gradually lost the sense of feeling from his shoulders down and now lives each day with what he describes as “a background of discomfort.” As a result, his mobility is limited, and he’s dependent on a high-tech, motorized wheelchair.
Still, he’s at school on time every day, and he’s usually one of the last to leave in the evening. He teaches four 8th grade classes, three of English and one of history. He misses very few athletic events and serves as the public address announcer for most of Collegiate’s home varsity football and basketball games.
He rarely takes a sick day. He never complains.
“Rather than considering myself a victim,” he says with customary forthrightness, “I deal with who I am and leave it at that. “It’s much more affirming to think in terms of being what you’re supposed to be.”
Coates graduated from St. Christopher’s in 1964, ventured west, and remained there for more than a decade. He earned his B.A and M.A. in English literature from Arizona State, and did doctoral work, also in English lit, at the University of Arizona. He taught at both Arizona and Arizona State as well as at Stephen F. Austin State in Nacogdoches, TX.
In 1977, he returned to Virginia to begin a four-year stint at Broadwater Academy on the Eastern Shore. He then served on the faculty at St. Catherine’s from 1981-1984 and in June will complete his 19th year at Collegiate. He and his wife Lucy have been married for almost 21 years, and their three children – Marie, 16, Jack, 14, and Chloe, 10 – attend Collegiate.
Though his medical condition and the challenges it presents have tested his resolve, John views life from a perspective of optimism. He’s never met a stranger, and he’s fiercely loyal to family and friends. He’s sensitive to the needs of others and can truly empathize with those for whom life isn’t always easy. He’s passionate about his calling and demands the best of his students, and they need look no further than their teacher for a symbol of perseverance and excellence.
“People find direction in a lot of oddball ways,” he says. “I’ve been fortunate. As the illness has progressed, I’ve been able to keep working, support my family, and build a network of people to help me when I need it.”
Coates drives a specially equipped van, parks in a handicap space, and avails himself of a variety of devices that make difficult tasks more manageable. For the last 7 years, he’s shared classroom responsibilities with an aide who helps with such tasks as grading, record keeping, and planning.
That said, I’ve never considered John Coates handicapped. Though he fully understands the reality of his condition, neither does he. “I accept the term as a way of negotiating certain aspects of my life,” he said, “but it’s not the label I choose for myself.
“There’s a lot I could do to bring me increased creature comforts. I could stop working and go on government assistance. I could have people in the house to take care of my needs. I could stop reading when I get tired. “I’d live that life if it was all I had, but it’s not the life I’d choose to live.”
When Coates speaks of his illness, his words carry no trace of bitterness or self-pity. “The life that’s most meaningful to me,” he explains, “is not a life of spectacular deeds but of quietly trying over time to make incremental contributions. “I assume that doing so always comes back as a blessing. “For me, it always has.”
