'Legacy'
In describing the legacy of his writing, teaching, and research, Coles is hesitant.
"I think the word 'legacy' is too important," Coles says. "What I've tried to do is to place myself as a seeing and listening observer in the midst of a range of children living a range of different kinds of lives."
"And then, I've tried to carry back to the world of readers, through my books, what I've seen and heard," he says.
But in summing up the various aspects of his life, Coles describes himself in clearer terms. "I am a loner and a wanderer, both within the University and in life," Coles says. "There is a wandering, loner quality to me. I'm not a member of a department, and I spend my time with students, rather than with faculty."
"This is a failing of sorts," Coles says. "But whatever it is, it's the way I've lived."