Jim Shields obituary

The Guardian

01-06-2025

My friend Jim Shields, who has died aged 84, was a history teacher at Quarry Bank (now Calderstones) school in Liverpool for most of his career, and rose to be head of the history department there before retiring in the mid-1990s.
Affectionately known as 'JAS' or 'Shieldsy' to his pupils, he brought his classroom alive, transforming it into Renaissance Italy, the court of the Medici or the splendours of Louis XIV's Versailles. More than that, he was able to convince each of his pupils that they mattered, that their views were worthwhile and that their individual progress was of huge importance to him personally. Time and again, former students have said that Jim's teaching helped them grow in confidence by making them feel encouraged, valued and supported.
Jim was born in Liverpool as the only child of Jessie Shields, a shop worker in Lewis's department store who later became one of Liverpool's first traffic wardens. His father, whom he never knew, is believed to have been killed in a naval battle during the second world war, and so Jim was brought up in an extended family that included his mother, grandmother and several cousins.
He went to De La Salle grammar school and then to the University of Liverpool, where he gained a history degree followed by a postgraduate teaching qualification. Thereafter he spent his entire teaching career in Liverpool, initially at St Kevin's RC school for boys in Kirkby, one of the UK's first comprehensive schools and also one of the biggest, with more than 2,000 pupils, and then, from the mid-1960s onwards, at Quarry Bank school in Allerton.
As head of history there he led a department that was a wonderful combination of rigour, brilliance and good fun. Modest and unassuming, he was always the last person to recognise the impact he had. He was an exceptional teacher, as well as a brilliant colleague and a special friend.
Jim was always the most convivial company. He loved a party, enjoyed his food and the occasional dance, relished a good political argument and was known for his witty and perceptive insights. A night in his company – in the pub, the concert hall, cinema or theatre – was always well spent and good fun.
A lifelong Guardian reader, his cultural life was rich with Spanish classes, opera, classical music, film, theatre and annual trips to the Edinburgh festival. Though never the most worldly or practical person, he was innately curious and enjoyed foreign travel and engaging with different cultures.
He is survived by his cousin Terry.