About The Author
Shirley Machura is an educator with a varied and remarkable career in education. Her career started as an elementary school teacher with the Smoky Lake School District and the Edmonton Catholic School Board. She later moved on to teach junior high and special education with this same school board.
Next, Shirley Machura moved on to join the administrative staff of her school board as a Reading Consultant. From the school board, Shirley joined the Department of Education in Alberta as a Curriculum Developer, serving all schools boards and children of Alberta.
From her time with the Department of Education, she moved onward serving as the Director of Personnel and then as the Assistant Superintendent of Schools in the West Central Catholic School District.
After graduating from Smokey Lake High School, Shirley followed her dream of attending the University of Alberta completing a Junior E Certificate before starting teaching with the Smokey Lake School District. Once back in Edmonton and with a young family, Shirley continued her education, studying at the University of Alberta. During these years, she graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Education, then later with a Master's Degree, also in Education. She continued her lifelong learning, and graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Education Administration from the University of Alberta.
Shirley Machura has published articles and given presentations at various educational functions, professional development events, and conferences. During her career, Shirley served as a board member for Meals on Wheels and as a Senator on the University of Alberta Senate.
Special to Shirley Machura is the Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) Society International, an international women educators' society, to which she has belonged and served for forty years. She has held many official positions within the Society. Notably, she served as the parliamentarian for the Society for many of these years, both for DKG Alberta and her local Alpha Chapter.
Shirley and her husband, Walter, were married for sixty-three years. His passing (2022) left a hole in the family fabric.
With the encouragement of her family, Shirley began work on this book. She hopes her family will see a different perspective of their family's matriarch in these poems, and that others will relate to her struggles, joys, and experiences that comprise this collection of poetry: Dare To Dream.
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