Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Mike Smith:
Abraham Lincoln may have learned how to read in a country schoolhouse, but he knew one thing that no schoolmaster taught him: books can unlock the world. “The things I want to know are in books,” he would say.

There was only one book in the Lincoln family cabin: the Bible. So young Abe read it. He also borrowed books—classics such as Aesop’s Fables, Pilgrim’s Progress, and Robinson Crusoe. There is even a story that Abe once walked nearly 20 miles to borrow a book from a lawyer.

The sight of Abe with a book was familiar to family and friends. When the noon break came after he had worked in the fields all morning, Abe would pull a book from his pocket and throw himself down under a tree to read. His stepmother, Sarah Lincoln, encouraged his reading habits.

The older Abe grew, the more he read. When he was about 22, he decided to improve his grammar. He walked six miles to borrow a grammar book, and studied it by firelight. And later, as a congressman in Washington, D.C., he would bury himself in the Library of Congress to read, much to his colleagues’ amusement.

As homeschooling parents, there are many lessons that we seek to teach our children. One of the most important is the value of reading. Through books, our children can discover the world.

And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.