My partner, John Gittus, who has died aged 74 of complications from a stroke he suffered in 2008, was a dedicated teacher and committed socialist. He was originally from south Wales, where his grandfather had laboured in the coalmines and his father had worked in the now defunct Ebbw Vale steelworks. Education provided John with the path to a different life, but he never shed the values with which he was raised.
He qualified as a teacher in 1961, and jobs in Kidderminster and London ultimately led him to Hagley, in the West Midlands, where he spent the rest of his career as head of history in the local Roman Catholic comprehensive. His passion for his subject inspired many a pupil to study history at university, and passing colleagues often heard laughter coming from his classroom. All this was built on hard work, meticulous preparation and discipline. He had no time for those who wished to test pupils all the time and treated education department fads with scorn.
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