Well-respected veteran teacher brings world history to life

Whether a student has gone the Advanced Placement or IB route, it is likely they have at least heard of world history teacher and Academic Decathlon teacher Victoria Deniston-Reed.

Reed grew up in Virginia and this leant itself to her interest in history. “I loved going to Williamsburg and Washington, D.C. when I was a kid,” she said, “So I really knew by the time I was 10 years old [that I wanted to be a history teacher].”

Her high school education solidified this curiosity but more importantly, travels to extracurricular locations gave her more insight into history. Reed said, “The museums and historical sites were more important, but I also enjoyed my AP European History class in high school.” Reed noted that she was particularly passionate about the Industrial Revolution and the global imperialism that resulted from this period.

Once Reed became a history teacher at Central, she made an impression on both the staff and the students. She acquired the reputation of being a strict teacher, but many students attribute some of their fondest memories at Central to her class.

Junior John Woodworth knew Reed’s reputation going into the class, and admits he was a bit intimidated, but Reed turned out to be one of his favorite teachers. “Going into a year and knowing I would have Reed twice a year was kind of scary. But she’s really proved me wrong and has expanded my knowledge on the world we live in and the world from the past,” Woodworth said.

While many teachers opt to use PowerPoint or Microsoft Word for students to take notes, Reed does not go this route. “PowerPoint’s are just another tool for delivering lectures. I don’t use them much because I hate making them. Over the years, I noticed that students don’t listen well to explanation during a PowerPoint. They tend to want to merely copy the words they see on the screen,” Reed said. In order to engage students more she delivers traditional lectures, which force students to listen closely.

Traveling the world has influenced her teaching style as well, and she has many personal accounts of visiting the various places she focuses on in her lesson plans to help history “come alive” in the eyes of her students.

Reed has traveled around the world in pursuit of historical sites and rare destinations. Reed said, “Overall, I almost always enjoy large cities best: New York, Istanbul, Shanghai, and Rome are endlessly fascinating.” She has also paid visits to some more uncommon cities however. “The unintended bus trip I ended up taking along the coast of Montenegro was startlingly gorgeous,” Reed said.

She also noted a visit to the city where World War I began, Sarajevo, located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the site of the most interesting tour she ever had. “I can thank Mr. Wilson for his insistence that I try to visit there,” Reed said.

Students oftentimes get a hands-on experience with history, as Reed has accumulated an impressing collection of relics and souvenirs over the decades of travelling.

Junior Bennett Jackson admires her teaching style. “Mrs. Reed is one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever met, and I’ve already learned so much from her this year. Her teaching techniques are unique and show why she is renowned and respected at Central,” Jackson said.

Another aspect that Reed is known for aside from her teaching style is her wardrobe. Unique dress is something that not many teachers are known for. However, Reed falls in this category. Students frequently say that they have never seen her wear the same outfit twice. To this she says, “Those students aren’t paying attention, at least if they’re seniors. I probably have only enough outfits for one school year.”

Along with the sheer number of outfits she owns, Reed also dresses in a way dissimilar from other teachers. “I am far too fond of shopping at thrift stores. Then, if the clothes are classic and made of good fabric, I keep them for years,” Reed said.

Reed is another example of a teacher who decides to go away from the norm in an attempt to channel the same passion of history that she exhibits each day into the hearts and minds of her students.