Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Mike Smith:
Abe Lincoln received less than one year of formal schooling, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t educated. He taught himself. And on his limited income, he couldn’t spend a lot of money on books and tutors. However, Abe was a resourceful fellow. He had some clever tricks for learning.

In his early 20s, Lincoln decided to study a difficult grammar textbook. He borrowed it from an acquaintance and read it by firelight. Sometimes, he asked a friend to test him by holding the book and asking questions out of it.

Lincoln’s longtime law partner, William Herndon, described Lincoln’s study habits this way:

Mr. Lincoln’s habits . . . of reading law, politics, poetry, etc. . . . were to come into the office, . . . sprawl himself out on the sofa, chairs, etc., and read aloud, much to my annoyance. I have asked him often why he did so and his invariable reply was: “I catch the idea by two senses, for when I read aloud I hear what is read and I see it; and hence two senses get it and I remember it better . . . .”

If your child seems to have hit a brick wall in his or her lessons, try out some of Lincoln’s study techniques. Have your child read out loud. Ask questions to test comprehension. These simple ideas can jumpstart the learning process.

And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.