CLC Survey Results by Ellen Muller

In our CLC group, we found there are many factors involved that contribute to why students are or are not motivated to read. At the high school level, which is what I teach, students may be coming from a background where their parents are not fluent readers or they simply do not have a good understanding of what needs to be done to support their child in the reading process - especially when s/he is struggling. The survey I worked on was I felt was especially relevant (Family, Child, and Teacher Perceptions of African American Adult Assistance to Young Readers), since I have students from all different cultures, including African American, and though I feel I'm sensitive to differences it helped to really put me in the shoes of the parents of my students.
In the study, surveys are given to teachers, and parents of African American students as well as the students themselves. The goal was to determine whether or not the three groups had a shared understanding of each of the following: the child's reading level, the family's reading practice at home, and the general views on opportunities for or barriers to families' decisions to help their children with reading. The information collected showed patterns of agreement and disagreement. In some cases, there was much disagreement. Another problem discussed could likely be a differing of expectations for a child's success. What a teacher thinks is important for a child to learn might be different from what his/her parents think is important. Some of the problem could be caused by cultural issues, but some stems from a lack of communication between parents and teachers (Msengi, 2007).
Some of my students are in the normal stages of teenage hormonal development. However, some of my other, lower-level students behave more like fifth or sixth graders. They respond to books like Patricia Polacco's "Pink and Say" when I use it for a read aloud or when one of my students asks me to read from his "Michael Jackson" book on a "Fun Friday". Both of these types of activities work in my room to motivate my learners and help enhance the positive multi-cultural environment that I work so hard to sustain.