Bobbie Jo Schlueter

My name is Bobbie Jo Schlueter, and I am the author of Mom Talks. I have spent more than 25 years teaching in the public school system in Nebraska ranging from kindergarten through sophomores in high school. The most rewarding and rich experiences in my career came from the 10 years I spent teaching eighth grade English. My experiences with middle and high school students in those years have given me insight into the lives of teenagers from many walks of life.

My career has taken me to schools so small that there were only two rooms and 20 kids and has also taken me into a large rural district with beautiful cultural diversity, many different languages, and food like you have never eaten before. The hundreds of children I have taught over the years have found a place deep in my heart, and their stories have become the inspiration of Mom Talks.

Even the title was inspired by my students. At the middle school where I taught English for 10 years, my students would often stop by my classroom after school. They would grab some candy from the candy basket, sit in the comfy chairs, and chat about life. The kids started calling these after school visits “mom talks”. It is from many of these after school moments that the chapters of Mom Talks were born.

My husband, Troy, and I live on a small acreage near my hometown of Schuyler, Nebraska. Troy, a high school English teacher and coach (and former teenage boy) has also served as inspiration for a couple of Mom Talk chapters. Shasta and Homeruns is a little tribute to 10-year-old Troy and his “tough as nails” Grandpa Robinson. Troy and I have a large, blended family, two dogs, two cats, and a flock of chickens. We are deeply committed and involved with the communities and schools that we teach and live in.

It is my sincere hope that God will place this book in the hands of any teenager that could use some comfort, compassion, truth, and a dose of blunt honesty. It is important to me to see to it that every reader, whether teenager (or adult who used to be a teenager) will read it and see themselves between the pages of every chapter.

I am currently working on a second Mom Talk book in which I focus on how the experiences of middle school and high school can be harnessed to build a character that mirrors Christ. I cannot wait to share more stories with you in the near future.