The ability to read is important

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I've had this discussion before, but I've found there are things a lot of us can do that we take for granted. A big one, I believe, that people take for granted is the ability to read. Growing up, I struggled to read at first despite desperately wanting to be able to. I had fine motor delays along with some other things I struggled with that slowed down some of my progress. My dad has never been able to read, at least not much, so it was a big deal to him that we learned. He couldn't physically help us by reading to us, but he helped in whatever ways he could. He told the teachers that I was stubborn and didn't like being pressured and that if they backed off some, I'd eventually read. He knew they had been putting a lot of pressure on me to do all of these things, and I have never done well when people put a ton of pressure on me, eventually they did back down a little, and my reading took off. By 4th grade, I was at grade level and eventually read better than a lot of my peers. Not reading was not an option for us; my dad struggled and still struggles in a world that requires a person to be able to read to really get by. My dad heavily relies on me, especially to read and fill out his paperwork and checks. He never wanted that for us. He taught me to be so incredibly grateful for the ability to read and write. The second I learned how to read sentences, my dad would sit me down and have me read cookbooks for him. It helped him, but it also helped me. He would patiently wait as I sounded out words. My brother, ironically, probably needed this more than I did, because he has never been a great reader. He could and can read, but not to the extent he should. He once told me he thought all of the boys on my dad's side of the family had dyslexia, which would make a lot of sense. Not only can my dad not read, but none of his brothers can/could either, except for his half-brothers, who had a different dad; my dad's dad also couldn't read. The girls could all read. I think the reason why my dad worked with me more was that I wanted it more, and I was easier to sit down with without putting up a fight. It was one of the ways my dad and I bonded. My mom helped by reading a lot to me, and I'd bring a huge stack of books, and she would read every last one, and when I started reading, she and I would take turns reading. My parents both helped me with my reading, and thanks to them, I am a decent reader now. Between seeing my dad struggle and struggling myself in the beginning, reading is something I find to be a gift. I see a lot of kids I work with struggle to read. I work at a school where at least 80 percent of our 4th graders last year scored below grade level. A lot of them read at a 1st and 2nd grade reading level, with a few that are barely able to read at all. It used to be state law in Ohio that they had to pass the 3rd-grade reading test in order to be able to move up to the 4th grade, but they made it so parents could move them up. In third grade, we had maybe four kids in our class of 23 pass that reading test. If that were still a requirement, we would have had a very small fourth-grade class. I've found a lot of the younger generation are struggling more and more with reading. I believe I read somewhere that millennials were the last generation that was smarter than the generations before them. They believe it has to do with screens and the lack of deep reading. Millennials are the last generation to grow up without having a screen, so a lot of us more frequently read books, and we had to research things in physical books. The younger generations haven't known a time when they didn't have a screen (there are obviously exceptions to this rule, depending on the parents, but it has always been an option, whether or not they personally had it). My point is that reading is important, and the more I work with kids, the more I'm seeing kids who are struggling in ways children haven't struggled in years. People may not see reading as a skill, but it is an incredibly important one that not every person possesses. It used to be far more likely to find someone who couldn't read the further back you go, but the world was made easier for those who couldn't read than it is today. Now, when someone can't read it really hinders every aspect of their life. My dad worked factory jobs for years before reading and a high school diploma became mandatory. Now, almost any job you get requires the ability to read. I keep trying to get this through to kids when they are goofing off, how important it is to be able to read and read well.