Millions are functionally illiterate, completely put off or puzzled by the printed page. Many college graduates have never read a book. A second reason is that language teachers today are not very well prepared, I think, to teach. So-called colleges of education are, in my view, abominations that spew out teachers who are certified to know how to teach but sadly know nothing to teach. An high school English teacher is likely not to know a gerund from a ground hog, as this sort of information is now adjudged to be irrelevant.
Colleges of education are largely diploma mills that ought to be padlocked.
Third, English really is a wonderfully agile language, the closest thing we have to a truly international language in the world. It is supremely adaptable, borrows from other languages indiscriminately, and is highly flexible. It is the language of science in its precision and clarity, and the language of poetry in its expressiveness and music. It is to me a thing of beauty and a joy forever. I love it.