Imagine all the large and confusing words used by scientists, doctors, and teachers which can be difficult to understand, or even read. Now imagine if all words were difficult to read. Imagine being unable to read at all. Reading is the cornerstone of all education around the world, but in many countries, someone who can read is like a unicorn – extremely rare and unique. Learning to read is important because it provides us with the materials needed to learn more about the world, and is also used in common forms of communication.

 Many people, like scientists, use their ability of reading every day in order to get their job done. For example, as astronomers work together to discover more stars and other celestial bodies they write their findings down. However, if these astronomers couldn’t read they would have no way of writing down their findings, and their entire program would be a massive disaster. The ability to read is important for scientist because they have to record their research or they would lose their progress as they forget what they’ve learned. In addition to scientists, students at school must also be able to read so that they can have a chance of passing their classes. For example, in English class the teacher assigns her students to read a small book over the weekend. As John opens the book, he looks down at the alien-like hieroglyphics scattered about the page. Because John is illiterate, he will obviously have a difficult time translating the book page by page in order to find out what it says. Reading is not only used in English class, but all classes. Classes such as health, Spanish, and even math would be impossible without knowing how to read. Therefore, the ability to read is crucial for anyone who wishes to learn, no matter the subject.
 Not only does reading affect education, but it also affects the most common form of communication among teenagers – texting. For example, after hearing the familiar ding of his phone, Carl pulls out his iPhone, looks at the screen blankly, and wonders why there are so many confusing little shapes on the screen. Every day, over six-billion text messages are sent in the United States alone, and over eight-trillion texts globally. If no one could read these texts, then the most common form of communication would be completely eradicated. Reading is an important skill because it’s a part of our everyday lives, and not being able to read would destroy our easiest way of communicating.
 Imagine how an entirely illiterate world would be, and look at where we are today. Every day, scientists, students, teachers, and even teenagers sending silly texts back and forth to each other must know how to read or they couldn’t communicate, do their job, or learn. Therefore, because reading is required in every job, school, and most of our communication, it is important to learn how to read.