When facing a problem in life, typically the first response is to ask someone who knows, right? Surely someone out there has experienced this same issue, or the Doctor will know what to do… or, heaven forbid, you ask your mother. Well, I am “the mother” and so when I am facing questions that I do not have the answers to, I have found that I can often find answers to solvable life problems through reading.
I am an avid reader, and began reading at an early age. My love of reading was fostered by a doting aunt and I am forever indebted to her. Now, as an adult, I have come to recognize and appreciate the natural ability I have developed to problem solve through reading.
Studies abound which show a significant correlation between reading well and success in school and life. In fact, in an article published at the Huffington Post, “a study conducted in April 2013 by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy showed that 32 million adults in the U.S. can’t read. That’s 14 percent of the population. 21 percent of adults in the U.S. read below a 5th grade level, and 19 percent of high school graduates can’t read. The current literacy rate isn’t any better than it was 10 years ago. According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (completed most recently in 2003, and before that, in 1992), 14 percent of adult Americans demonstrated a “below basic” literacy level in 2003, and 29 percent exhibited a “basic” reading level.”
This contributes to the overall decline in all areas of education; math, science, language arts, reasoning, etc. If one cannot read and comprehend what they are reading, the subject matter makes no difference.
Thus, the better we read, the better we can solve not only the big problems in our lives, but the small day to day ones as well. The Department of Education has information on adult literacy programs by state.
