Welcome to Mrs. Shirley’s classroom.  I love teaching students in English 3 and 4 and am looking forward to a great third year at NHS!  The district has supported my desire to enhance higher academic preparations and equip students with greater personal responsibility and work ethics required for success as adults.  I am passionate about American and British literature, the major curriculum for those two English years, and I have a particulary strong love for tutoring improvements in English usage skills. Even students who do not have college aspirations can benefit from having skills using standard English well.   We will pay close attention to best usage because I agree with Mark Twain’s sentiment: “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”