Just inside the door of Room 219 of Jackson Prep Junior High hangs a small plaque which reads, "A wise teacher makes learning a joy."  Without this philosophy, Gayle Ford would not still be in the classroom (with her sanity intact!).  After teaching in the public schools in Petal and Clinton, Gayle retired from public education and came to Prep in August 2000 to teach College Prep and Honors English 9.  Resource English 9 was added to her schedule beginning in the 07-08 school year.  She enjoys the freshmen experience!  Since coming to Prep, Gayle served as English department chair for four years and currently is spelling bee coordinator and junior high English coordinator.

In her life before Prep, Gayle was born and reared in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, area where she graduated from Petal High School and then attended William Carey College, receiving a Bachelor's Degree with a major in English and minors in Spanish and Secondary Education.  Following that, she earned a Master's Degree at the University of Southern Mississippi in English and completed twenty-four hours towards a Specialist Degree in English with an emphasis in composition.  Gayle also later returned to Carey to receive certification in gifted education.  Her family moved to Clinton in 1982.

Gayle's family includes her husband, Dr. Kirk Ford, a professor of history at Mississippi College in Clinton; her son Kyle Ford, a 2005 honors graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, who is working as an audio engineer in Nashville; and two Persian kitties and three Russian Toy Terriers who demand much attention and fill her life with joy!

In her spare (?) time, Gayle enjoys traveling, reading, gardening, spending time with family and friends, and grading essays and term papers!  Basically, her life revolves around her family and her calling to the teaching profession.  She feels blessed to be part of the Jackson Prep family!