Inspire, Fall 2000

16 Fall 2000 Alumni Profile: John ’83 and Robin Strope Coules ’83 J ohn ’83 and Robin Strope Coules ’83 will soon begin their seventh year of home schooling. However, even though Robin was an elementary education major at Cedarville, she says she still finds it hard to believe that she is home schooling at all. She remembers telling people that she would never home-school her own children. “Our journey,” shared the Couleses, “began when our son, J.D., started exhibiting extreme shyness at age 4 when in unsure environments. We began considering whether public school would help promote confidence in our child or drive him further into his shell. After much prayer and a reassuring conversation with Professor Sharon Eimers at Cedarville, we began to see that we as parents could actually teach and equip our children to deal with difficult situations. So we began home schooling, and we would not give it up for the world. Every day has not been smooth sailing, but God has been faithful to guide us and to give us wisdom in our mentoring role.” In home schooling, the Couleses often have their children deal with questions such as “What does God’s Word say about this?” or “How would God want us to respond?” Their goal is to help their children become thinkers who ask themselves these questions when put in various circumstances. “This is the most exciting aspect of home schooling for us,” Robin stated. “We owe a great deal to Cedarville for this, because it was there that we learned to think critically. Many of our professors challenged us to not just accept the norm on issues, but to view life and its circumstances through the lens of Scripture.” And this is now what John and Robin teach their children. Robin says that her husband, John (who served as a senior pastor for eight years), has been a great help by including critical thinking in every area of study. He leads the family in discussions about life issues, including discernment of behavior and speech, while constantly challenging the family to test what they see against the values of Scripture. The Couleses are also involved in a home-schooling group in their area. “When we started,” Robin stated, “we felt very alone, but this group has provided a lot of support.” The group talks about curriculum and makes plans for enriching activities for the students such as spelling bees, music lessons, science fairs, field trips, and physical education opportunities. Recently, the group had an open house where students could display their work from the year. The students, guided by parents, planned the event and worked in a variety of areas, including sound and lighting and making refreshments. What began as an effort to help J.D. through a difficult transition has proven both successful and rewarding. “Last fall,” Robin continued, “J.D. stood up in front of an audience of approximately 40 people and recited Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.” Although this achievement was very exciting for the Coules family, it is only one of the rewards they believe is associated with their choice to home school. “All the academics and musical achievements do not in any way compare to seeing our children begin to respond to situations in godly ways,” concluded Robin. Robin closed by saying, “Thank you, Cedarville, for teaching us so that we, in turn, could teach our children and strive to impact a new generation for Him.” A Rewarding Journey Every day has not been smooth sailing, but God has been faithful to guide us and to give us wisdom in our mentoring role.