According to educational-portal.com, 42 million American adults can’t read at all while 50 million are unable to read at a level expected of a fourth or fifth grader. Even worse, that number is expected to increase by about 2.25 million next year. The situation is so bad, some circles call illiteracy an epidemic.
You can help alleviate this problem by becoming a reading and literacy teacher. At the rate we’re going, there can be no such thing as too many reading and literacy teachers – so this career choice offers a comfortable level of job security to say the least. The reading and literacy career can be rewarding as well. That means while you’re looking at gainful employment, you’re also looking at an opportunity to give people what they need to function in society.
Reading and literacy college students learn not only education basics, but also various social and political issues that often accompany illiteracy as well. With a teaching license and certification, graduates increase their career options (see below).
To become a reading and literacy, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in education at the very least. To expand your career options, you’ll need a master’s degree instead. To enter a higher level program, a bachelor’s or master’s degree may be required. Those who are interested in incorporating technology into a reading and literacy program should take a few courses in computer operations since a lot of school require that knowledge from its applicants.
Graduates of a reading and literacy program help students begin to read and improve existing reading skills to an age- or grade-appropriate level. Graduate who continue their education in pursuit of a master’s degree or PhD may work in adult literacy programs or libraries. Some even work as programmers on extensive, computer-based reading programs while others operate their own reading programs.