Americans Can’t Read
The Warning Teachers Are Giving Americans
One of the most common reactions to a bad statistic in America is disbelief. Not only because people think the numbers are fake, but because they genuinely can’t imagine the problem existing where they live. That it has to be an issue affecting other people, somewhere else. And considering how separated Americans are by class, race, and environment, that disconnect isn’t really surprising.
I understand this mindset because I had it too. Despite growing up around people from different backgrounds, I still assumed most Americans lived more or less the same life. If you asked teenage AE what the average American looked like, she probably would have described someone with a degree, a white-collar job, and a middle-class life. In hindsight, I was living in a pretty insulated bubble. And in a weird way, my life sat between two completely different worlds. I was being raised by a single mother who struggled to remain housed, while much of the environment around me was filled with educated “professional types.”
I bring this up because too many people still think America is operating from one shared reality. There are completely different worlds of people living in this country, often with very little understanding of each other. Which is part of why so many Americans instinctively dismiss certain problems as exaggerated or impossible. But as a former educator, I can say firsthand that this crisis is real. And eventually, we’re going to have to decide whether we want to solve it or simply live with the consequences.
So yes, the title of this article is true.
Many Americans, including those of the next generation, can’t read.
Oh wait, one quick heads up.
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Now, back to what I was saying.
