To Make High Schoolers Want To Read, Miami Teacher Makes It A Competition
John O’Connor / StateImpact Florida
Miami Northwestern Senior High writing teacher Daniel Dickey says you have to be a good reader to be a good writer. He’s challenged his student to read one million words this year.
Miami Northwestern High School English teacher Daniel Dickey has found a way to make his tenth graders brag about their reading skills.
Mischael Saint-Sume and Ciji Wright tease each other about who’s going to read one million words first — a contest Dickey created.
âDid you put him in his place?” Dickey asked Wright. “Because Mischael, heâs popping in my classroom every day with a new book.”
âOh donât worry about it because Iâve got plenty of books for him,â Wright replied.
âBut it ends today, by the way,” Saint-Sume said. âIâm going to hit a million.â
âNot if I take my test before you,â Wright said.
Dickey teaches tenth-grade writing. As a rookie teacher last year, Dickey saw too many students not pass the state writing test.
John O'Connor / StateImpact Florida
Bedjina Nortellus updates the number of words she's read after passing a book test.
So he launched a contest: the Million Word Campaign. He wanted each of his students to read a million words last year.
His wall is covered in student photos. A sticky note on each one tallies the number of words theyâve read. Students add to their total if they pass an oral quiz on each book.
âThe look on faces when I said, ‘Youâre going to read a million words,’ ” Dickey laughs, “kids are: âMr. Dickey, Iâve never read one word. Iâm not reading a million words.â”
Wright has read 865,680 words so far this school year. Saint-Sume has read 992,076. Last year, Prince Cenat topped the class at 1.5 million words.
For years Northwestern was labeled a bad school, where students couldnât read, write or do math at grade level and didnât graduate.
Northwestern is now an A-rated school after years of work. That includes strict teaching and curriculum requirements from Miami-Dade schools.
âYouâre going to come in and do a bell-ringer,” Dickey says, explaining the district’s requirements. “Youâre going to do an âI do,â where you show the kids something. A âWe doâ â we do it together.
“And all these were great, but at no point did anyone say âAnd then weâre going to have kids read.â In order to be a great writer you have to be a great reader.â
At 28, Dickey is older than most second-year teachers. The South Florida native says it took him a while to find himself after high school.
John O'Connor / StateImpact Florida
Some of the books in Daniel Dickey's library. No student has tackled "Infinite Jest" yet, considered one of the longest and most complicated American novels.
He kicked around New York City, trying his hand at comedy and writing.
One day, a neighborâs refuse caught his eye.
âI was walking out of my apartment, about to hop on the subway,” Dickey says, “and I saw there was a bunch of books in front of this stoop on my apartment.”
One book jumped out.
The title was profane: âThe F— Upâ by Arthur Nersesian.
âAnd after I read that book, I think something changed in me,” Dickey says, “and I think I saw some parallels in this guy, who, he was going somewhere, but he was taking a lot of detours to get there.â
Dickey decided he wanted to finish college, eventually earning a degree from Florida Atlantic University. There, he applied to Teach For America and got the job at Northwestern.
The Million Word Campaign was his first big idea. Dickey has gathered a small library of books. If something catches a student’s interest, he’ll buy the book for them.
Young adult fiction is popular, like âThe Hunger Gamesâ trilogy at 301,583 words. No one has taken on David Foster Wallaceâs âInfinite Jestâ yet — it’s 484,001 words.
Tiondre Toomer loves biographies about leaders — Barack Obama, Dwyane Wade, Andrew Jackson.
Bedjina Nortellus likes books about Greek mythology. Cenat got started with “The Alchemist,” an adventure tale he said reminded him of his experience as an immigrant.
Another student said he wanted to make guap — a slang term for money. So Dickey gave him a copy of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” to read.
“He came in the next morning,” Dickey says, “he said ‘Mr. Dickey, I need to stop buying Nikes. I need to start buying houses. What can we do today to start making some guap?’ ”
But not every student dives into the challenge. Keenan Jamesâ struggles on the state writing test started in elementary school.
John O'Connor / StateImpact Florida
Dickey asks student Vince Mack a question during class.
âThey gave me a one,” he says of the test, scored on a six-point scale. “Then, the next year, fourth grade, they gave me another one.â
He says he didnât like to read or write. He prefers musical theater. He disrupted classes.
âI mean, I didnât like Mr. Dickey at all,” James says. “When I walked into that classroom I was like âOh my God, who is this teacher? All he do is talk about reading and writing and I hate both of them.’ ”
Another teacher booted James from her class and ordered him to write an essay on disrespect. James asked Dickey for help.
James asked about the Million Word Campaign. Dickey gave the student a copy of âBlack Boyâ by Richard Wright. The book caught James’ attention. He kept reading.
And then he got his FCAT writing test results back last year.
âThe score came back and I had a four,” James said. “And I was like âA four?â I was like âWait, wait, wait, you must have got me mixed up with somebody else, ’cause I know I ainât got no four.’ ”
It was the first time he passed the test. Keenan says he couldnât have done it without Mr. Dickey.
âFor so long I felt like I accomplished something,” James said. “And it felt so good.â
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to make it clear that Daniel Dickey brought the Million Word Campaign to Miami Northwestern, but the idea is used in schools nationwide.