Shirley Tourjee loves teaching 1st grade! She has been an educator for more that 25 years. After graduating from the University of Northern Colorado, Shirley worked with Kindergarten in Mancos, CO. She taught in Battle Rock, a one room schoolhouse, K-3, in Montezuma County and coached volleyball at the middle school in Cortez, CO. Shirley loves math and taught as an interventionist for 7th and 8th grade, and later taught 8th grade core math in Cortez, CO. She joined her Dolores school family in 2001 as a director and teacher for Gifted and Talented, part time, before moving to full time teaching in 1st grade 5 years later. She has a passion for building foundational skills in reading, writing, speaking, and mathematics while developing a love of learning through hands on experiences exploring science and social studies topics. Shirley loves the kids and families of Dolores. She is so grateful and proud to be serving a strong and caring community.