00:02 My name is Julie Stirrup and I work for Birmingham city council as a transforming education officer on the Building Schools for the Future programme. A transforming education officer represents the Birmingham vision for education in the building programme. So that BSF is not just a building programme that it does involve input from teachers and educationalists to ensure that the buildings will create innovative learning environments for young people of the future.
00:31 I started teaching in Somerset and as an RE teacher that was my main subject and my career has really snowballed, when I taught in Warwickshire I was head of RE but then also I was given responsibility for personal, social and health education as well as careers. I then became an advanced skills teacher for careers which widened my awareness of the opportunities for young people.
01:02 I was brought up in Brecon, my father was from Pontypridd you know the valley very strict Presbyterian Welsh Presbyterian background yes. He was a minister. Well we lived in a tiny, well a small village in Wales so it was quite isolated and, it was me and my sisters we didn’t have a lot of friends, so I would say we were quite a close family in terms of my sisters were my friends as well as siblings.
01:31 Always very close, I am still am close to my mother she’s still alive yes.
01:35 I did enjoy school, I suppose naturally when you get into the exam year the upper 6th year 13 as it is now it’s, you know the demands of examinations make it less fun but I did enjoy school yes.
01:50 We had our network of friends but, you know I suppose socially it was much more centred around the family and the church. The weekend was the busiest time for us, my father was always busy on a Saturday getting ready for the Sunday, Sunday delivering the services and, it would be you know a question of having to attend you know, keep up, the daughters, the minister’s daughters must attend and I suppose throughout, throughout our daily lives as well living you know we, my father expected, even until you know when I’d left home. You know you’re still upholding the, the family, your behaviour, and I remember him, well as a student him saying, you know just remember.
02:38 I entered teaching thinking about Christianity but I can remember when I was studying world faiths I would you know when my father was alive then and wanting to discuss this and it was, you know no, no and it was, it was very difficult then and I don’t know if I disappointed him in that respect but. One thing about teaching it’s a lot about the relation, I remember a doctor saying that to me once, you know you teachers have got a lot to answer for, because a lot about the relationships with the teachers, teachers that inspired you. And, I suppose that’s why I pursued religious education because the relationship with the teacher I enjoyed the subject and when I studied it a higher level it became much more the philosophy side of it which I found really engaging.
03:23 I don’t think I could say it was a moment a sort of Damascus road moment religious enough, I would say it was much more of a evolutionary thing when you realise um when I started teaching it, it was just a classroom but then it becomes much more important to you and, you know that it’s much more a way of life than just a job and the importance it is to make a difference to these young people’s lives.
03:48 End
Julie Stirrup
Julie Stirrup
My name is Julie Stirrup and I work for Birmingham city council as a transforming education officer on the Building Schools for the Future programme. A transforming education officer represents the Birmingham vision for education in the building programme. So that BSF is not just a building programme that it does involve input from teachers and educationalists to ensure that the buildings will create innovative learning environments for young people of the future.
I started teaching in Somerset and as an RE teacher that was my main subject and my career has really snowballed, when I taught in Warwickshire I was head of RE but then also I was given responsibility for personal, social and health education as well as careers. I then became an advanced skills teacher for careers which widened my awareness of the opportunities for young people.
I was brought up in Brecon, my father was from Pontypridd you know the valley very strict Presbyterian Welsh Presbyterian background yes. He was a minister. Well we lived in a tiny, well a small village in Wales so it was quite isolated and, it was me and my sisters we didn’t have a lot of friends, so I would say we were quite a close family in terms of my sisters were my friends as well as siblings.
Always very close, I am still am close to my mother she’s still alive yes.
I did enjoy school, I suppose naturally when you get into the exam year the upper 6th year 13 as it is now it’s, you know the demands of examinations make it less fun but I did enjoy school yes.
We had our network of friends but, you know I suppose socially it was much more centred around the family and the church. The weekend was the busiest time for us, my father was always busy on a Saturday getting ready for the Sunday, Sunday delivering the services and, it would be you know a question of having to attend you know, keep up, the daughters, the minister’s daughters must attend and I suppose throughout, throughout our daily lives as well living you know we, my father expected, even until you know when I’d left home. You know you’re still upholding the, the family, your behaviour, and I remember him, well as a student him saying, you know just remember.
I entered teaching thinking about Christianity but I can remember when I was studying world faiths I would you know when my father was alive then and wanting to discuss this and it was, you know no, no and it was, it was very difficult then and I don’t know if I disappointed him in that respect but. One thing about teaching it’s a lot about the relation, I remember a doctor saying that to me once, you know you teachers have got a lot to answer for, because a lot about the relationships with the teachers, teachers that inspired you. And, I suppose that’s why I pursued religious education because the relationship with the teacher I enjoyed the subject and when I studied it a higher level it became much more the philosophy side of it which I found really engaging.
I don’t think I could say it was a moment a sort of Damascus road moment religious enough, I would say it was much more of a evolutionary thing when you realise um when I started teaching it, it was just a classroom but then it becomes much more important to you and, you know that it’s much more a way of life than just a job and the importance it is to make a difference to these young people’s lives.
End
Julie Stirrup works for Birmingham City Council as a Transforming Education Officer on the Building Schools for the Future programme. She started out as an RE teacher and her career "snowballed from there". She says, "It's much more a way of life than just a job and the importance is to make a difference to these young people's lives".
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