Marcy Gore isn’t a new face at Prattville Christian Academy, but she’s settling into a newer role that is allowing students to reach their full potential in ways not offered on campus before just a few years ago. Mrs. Gore co-anchors PCA’s Orton-Gillingham tutoring program alongside Karen Phillips. Offered within the school’s Resource Center program, Marcy and Karen provide certified dyslexia intervention tutoring for students with an identified need.
Mrs. Gore has been at PCA for six years now. She began in the classroom but transitioned to PCA’s Resource Center after receiving her Orton-Gillingham certification in 2018. Marcy not only wanted to be a teacher, but she had a desire to teach children how to read because of her own experience as a child. “My parents moved from Texas to Colorado and back to Texas all while I was in the first grade,” said Mrs. Gore. “You can imagine what that does to a very young, timid child. I did not learn how to read that year as most children do.” It wasn’t until Mrs. Allen, Marcy’s second-grade teacher, noticed that she wasn’t able to keep up did things begin to turn around. “Mrs. Allen was more than a teacher to me, said Mrs. Gore. “She was an angel sent from heaven, to not only teach me how to read but to help me out of my shell by having patience and love beyond all measure.”
When Marcy finally learned to read, she told her mom that she was going to be a teacher and teach children how to read like Mrs. Allen, her second-grade teacher. She graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a specialization in Reading in 1992, and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education the following year. Her first classroom was at Herty Elementary School in 1993. She has the opportunity to teach 27 first grade students how to read that year! A few years later, she accepted the role of Reading Recovery teacher; a one-on-one program designed to help struggling readers. “I believe that every person has a special gift that God has given them, and it’s my passion to help them discover that gift by helping them learn to read, and read well,” said Marcy. “I love sharing my story with others, especially children, so they know people can learn at different rates and in different ways. God does not make mistakes, so when one person’s brain works differently than another, I see it as a gift, not a disability.”
Mrs. Gore is married to Michael Gore, and they have two daughters; Emily and Clara. Both graduated from PCA and are continuing their education at the University of New Hampshire and the University of Alabama, respectively. When she’s not on campus, she enjoys spending time with her immediate family, visiting other family back in Lufkin, Texas and spoiling Louie, her three-year-old Pomeranian. In addition to her family, she enjoys reading, cooking, fishing, riding bicycles, and traveling. Marcy has been fortunate enough to visit Italy, France, Austria, London, Spain, Ireland, Canada, and Hawaii.
When asked about what makes PCA special to her, she emphatically says the people. “PCA is not only a great school for students, but a great place to work,” said Mrs Gore.