How important is literacy?

Question:

How important is literacy?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: The importance of literacy is beyond measure. An illiterate person is at a disadvantage in every aspect of life w/in society. Illiteracy influences employability and therefore quality of life. It is a sad fact that in spite of the efforts of many educators, volunteers, political representatives/funding, etc. there are still many illiterate people in the US. As a reading teacher of Title I/ESL students, I find that part of the challenge is that many of the children are from families where parents are working 2 or more jobs, and simply are not home to read to/listen to their children read. Another challenge is that many people focus a lot on the technical aspects of teaching someone to read, and they leave out teaching the pure enjoyment and lovely intimacy of sharing a story with their children. Literacy should be a number one priority for us all, because the more literate our society is, the better the quality of life will be for everyone. Volunteer to help someone learn to read today! Do it! Go on now...... :)