Carol Phares, in her column, extolls the importance of reading and how the library can help.

A release discussing a report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows the effects of low income on students’ reading skills. What this blurb does not mention is that probably a major reason a child’s family falls in the low-income category is the parents’ reading skills. People with poor reading skills have a difficult time finding well-paying jobs.

This message about reading skills needs to be presented in a fashion to catch the attention of low income parents so they can take the steps Phares mentions in her column so their children can acquire better reading skills.

Reading skills are important on the job for a wealth of reasons. Number one is being able to read the job application and being able to read and understand directions.

There is a lot of discussion about the need for students to learn more math and science so they can enter engineering and technology fields. What is most important for learning math and science? Reading.

If you can’t read a problem, then you can’t solve. Before arriving at that point, though, you have to be able to read a textbook to gain the information needed to solve a problem. Reading is the foundation for being able to learn anything.

Phares also mentions the pleasure of reading. In me, she was preaching to the choir.

I learned to read at about the age of three sitting in my father’s lap as he read the newspaper. We always went to the comics and I slowly learned to read the words in the characters’ balloons. I steadily progressed from there and became fascinated with a wide variety of fact and fiction that has taken me on some wonderful imaginary journeys.

I still love reading.