John D. Clare was at the time of the interview Deputy Headteacher at Greenfield School in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. He has also written numerous history textbooks. He reviews his own education in Bradford and at Oxford, followed by his accidental decision to train to teach history in Durham in 1974. He recalls his first school where the teaching of history consisted of the transmission of notes which the pupils wrote from dictation. He experienced something of a revelation at a meeting to publicise the Schools Council History Project in 1976 and re-thought his approach to teaching history completely, though he is still a great enthusiast for story-telling. John's interview contains amusing anecdotes from the classroom, including his role as a film projector 'expert'. He also discusses the rationale for his text books, and the reasons for his recent work on immigration and the issue of national identity and history.

Interviewed by Nicola Sheldon.