Denton ISD Our Impact In Your Community Magazine Summer 2018 | Page 12

TEACHERS OF THE YEAR
Story and photos by Clif Cotton and
Julie Zwahr
McMath’s Dennae
Shirley wins
Jostens 2018
Secondary Teacher
of the Year
A quick glance in Dennae
Shirley’s room at McMath
Middle School and you might
just think she is interpreting
lessons for her students
through use of American
Sign Language. More
importantly, she is giving
meaning and perspective
to her adolescent students
during a time when they are learning to redefine
who they are becoming.
“In my classroom, we do life,” she laughed.
“Sometimes my students miss the expression or
the small nuisances that people communicate
through non-verbal cues, so I remind them often
that what they are feeling is what everyone else is
feeling. I try to give them the language to address
their feelings that they aren’t weird, it’s just
middle school.”
For her success in these efforts, she was named
the district’s 2018 Jostens Secondary Teacher
of the Year.
Mrs. Shirley works
exclusively with deaf
students in sixth,
seventh and eighth
grades through direct
instruction of English
and reading as well
as support in history,
science and math.
She has worked in the
12
district for 26 years.
“Being deaf myself, I had to find
ways to get by, through and over
hurdles most people are not even
aware exist,” said Mrs. Shirley.
She credits her parents, who
were both educators, for giving
her the knowledge and discipline
to succeed. She explained
that they would spend hours
administering speech and
hearing lessons alongside
vocabulary development.
“I have used my life stories to
show my students, as well as
their parents, though we miss out
on things we cannot hear, we can
see so much more,” said Mrs. Shirley.
Because she is so relatable, she finds that students
often turn to her to ask sensitive questions or give
meaning to the things that are happening in both
their school and personal lives. She believes being
one of her student’s closest confidants comes
with the job.
“I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I was six years
old, and it’s not anything like I expected it to be,”
said Mrs. Shirley. “But I love it so much that I cannot
image doing anything else.”
Mrs. Shirley earned her
bachelor’s degree in
Communication Science
Disorders from Texas
Woman’s University.