A seventh grade student, in annoyed exasperation, once asked me, “Why are we even reading books? I already know how to read, so why do I need to keep doing it?” The English teacher in me was ready with an answer, ready to defend reading, and ready to convince this student that they would, indeed, use reading skills for the rest of their lives.
So why is reading even worth doing?
Reading is one of the most important skills a person can have. Some might argue that it is the most important skill, and that it is crucial for living in today’s world. I don’t think there is a day that passes where I don’t use reading in some form or another. Research has shown that reading improves writing skills, spoken communication, and imagination, among others.
Written language has been used and passed down through generations for thousands of years. Early civilizations found it to be an effective way to communicate ideas as well as to preserve histories and ideas. Although written languages have evolved over time, one thing remains: they are still used to communicate and preserve ideas.
Learning to read is a lifelong skill. While not all adults who graduate high school or college will go on to read for pleasure and entertainment, I am positive they will still use reading skills in their daily lives. Take, for example, a person who finds themselves ill and in need of some kind of medication. Reading suddenly becomes a very important skill, as one must read the label and directions on the medicine bottle so that they can correctly take the medicine. Or perhaps someone wants to clean their kitchen, but doesn’t know what cleaners would be best. Again, reading becomes essential, as one must read labels to correctly identify which cleaning agent is best and how to use it.
The instances in which we use reading are endless. We read when we are at the grocery store trying to choose what foods to buy. We read when we are driving and reading road signs. We must read when we are using an instruction book to assemble furniture, or when using a user manual to learn how to check the tire pressure in our car. I imagine we’d have some interesting tasting foods if the chef or baker wasn’t able to correctly read the recipe or labels of ingredients. Imagine the disasters that could ensue if medical professionals weren’t able to read chart details. There are a myriad of situations that could be greatly impacted by the inability to read. While not all people enjoy picking up a book and reading, one thing is certain: they will still use reading, and will find that it really is a skill they use daily.
So to that seventh grade student, and to anyone else who isn’t sure that reading is even important, I assure you that it really is something that you will need to use daily, and that continuing to read will only improve your ability to read effectively and efficiently. Besides, reading can open up a whole world of possibilities, and that’s pretty exciting!
