Summer Reading for Homeschool Moms

Have you been homeschooling for a while?

Or are you relatively new to the homeschooling world?

However you answer those questions, this blog post is for you. And let it be known that even if you have only been homeschooling for a week, that still counts as “a while” in the homeschool community!

You may have noticed that there is a TON of reading material aimed at encouraging new homeschoolers, but those resources sort of seem to dwindle away for those who have been at it for a decade or so. I think that is because those of us who are “veterans” work hard to encourage the new homeschooling families… But the truth is, we long-term, older homeschooling mothers need a hefty dose of encouragement on a regular basis as well!

That’s just one reason The Old Schoolhouse Magazine’s Homeschooling with Heart blog is so wonderful! It gives homeschoolers of all ages and stages the encouragement so desperately needed!

One of my life goals is to encourage homeschoolers. This lifestyle means so much to me that I continue to stay plugged-in and involved with the homeschooling community, even though all five of my children have graduated from our family’s homeschool, and have either graduated from college or are currently attending college. I know how vitally important regular (as in daily, when possible!) encouragement is, because I know how vitally I needed to be encouraged when my children were still at home.

One of the sources of encouragement for me involves the study of the lives of heroes of the faith, who have gone before me. The writers such as Charles Haddon Spurgeon, A.W. Tozer and A.B. Simpson have served to push and to pull and to move me along, spurring me on to love and good deeds as I homeschooled for a quarter of a century.

And modern-day women of faith bless me in spades as I refer to their writing on a regular basis. Anne Graham Lotz, Jennifer Kennedy Dean, Susie Larson and Joni Eareckson Tada are just a few of the authors I turn to on a regular basis as a source of encouragement in my daily life, as a follower of Jesus.

Let me note that these are in addition to my daily Bible reading, of course. They never replace my time in the Word of God–rather, they encourage me to be in my Bible even more often!

As we go through the month of May and move into the homeschooling rhythms of summer time, let me encourage you to create a summer reading list, Mom. One that encourages you as a Christian woman, and draws you closer to Jesus, as well as strengthens you for your task as a homeschooler.

Have a wonderful, encouraging month of May!

Jan L. Burt is a 25-year homeschooling veteran, mother to five children, and has been happily married to her husband Tony for 28 years. She has a Facebook page (All Things Homeschool) where she shares encouragement and videos with her fellow homeschooling moms. Her current ministry roles include youth ministry with her husband (for the last 11 years), leading a weekly women’s Bible study, attending a women’s Christian leadership meeting of 30 women each week, and working on her Titus 2 discipleship website. She is also the owner/operator of JanLBurt.com and blogs at MomsWhoHomeschool.blogspot.com. She has written for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and was a product reviewer for TOS for several years. In addition, she is the author of The Homeschooling Mothers Bible Study (available on Amazon) and The Once-A-Year Homeschool Planner (An All-In-One, All-Student, All-Subject Planning System). Her online Bible study site aimed at encouraging Christian women of all walks of life can be found at Titus2DiscipleshipwithJanLBurt.com or on the Titus 2 Discipleship Facebook page. Her newest plans include the launch of a podcast (on her blog & website) in the immediate future.