WE RECALL a letter we received once from a recent high school graduate who wanted a job. The letter was filled with grammatical and spelling errors; so many that we wondered how the young man had gotten out of high school. We did not hire him, of course.

News organizations such as ours place a premium on the ability to write and speak the English language. When a young person comes to us for a job, we are naturally going to evaluate the ability of that person to handle the language with which we work on a daily basis.

One of the best ways parents can help their youngsters to become comfortable with English is to read to them.  Nowadays we understand reading aloud can even begin before the child is born. We’re not exactly sure how that works, but apparently the fetus can hear the words and is comforted by the sound of voices. 

After a child is born, parents should introduce books right away. Read aloud to them, no matter what the age, so they will grow accustomed to books. That way they’ll be ready to go to school and be better positioned to work with their writing and speaking skills.

Elizabeth Hamilton reminds of the importance of books this week, as she notes the start of an annual Read-A-Thon during which kids will be rewarded for the number of books they can read. This is a great way to get them started on their language skills, so we add our encouragement that you make pledges to the children, encouraging them in their reading.

She also points out other things that youngsters might enjoy reading, including newspapers such as the Marianas Variety. You can help your children to develop their language skills by encouraging them to read the newspaper, magazines and even comic books and electronic game publications and instructions. There are lots of opportunities to read not only in books, but in signs, labels, on the Internet, and in many other places where words can be found.

It may sound a little trivial, but turning kids out of high school without the ability to write even a single, declarative English language sentence without help is almost criminal. When we get a letter such as that, we shudder to think what will come out of their mouth if and when they try to speak.

So read to your kids, this week and every week, and encourage them to develop a love of reading, even if what they read is mostly on a computer screen or handheld phone. Language skills are one thing they’ll always need, no matter what they decide to do for a living.