Jill Dyer named Fannin County Teacher of the Year

Board of Education, Fannin County High, News
Jill Dyer named Fannin County Teacher of the Year

BLUE RIDGE, GA – Fannin County High’s Jill Dyer is the 2021 Teacher of the Year for the Fannin County School System.

The announcement was made by Superintendent Dr. Michael Gwatney at the annual banquet held at Willow Creek Falls on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

“I just want to say how honored I am,” Dyer said as she accepted the award. “I am so blessed.”

Jill Dyer named Fannin County Teacher of the Year

Jill Dyer displays the plaque she received for being named Fannin County High’s Teacher of the Year. She was also named the Fannin County School System Teacher of the Year on Tuesday. Dyer is pictured with, from left, Assistant Superintendent Robert Ensley, Superintendent Dr. Michael Gwatney, Fannin County High Principal Erik Cioffi, and Assistant Superintendent Darren Danner.

Dyer said she tells her teaching students that “teaching is one of the few professions that requires every part of you. Your mind, your body, and your soul.”

“The most important thing I think that we can do for our kids is to try and figure out what each one of them needs, and everyone is different,” Dyer said, citing her faith as her guiding principal.

“I pray on my way to school every day,” she said. “I pray for my kids. I’m always praying for my kids.”

She said she also prays for wisdom.

“I need wisdom to know what these kids need, and God is the only one who can give me that wisdom,” Dyer said, adding, “I also pray for patience.”

“I wouldn’t be the teacher I am today without His help. He’s blessed me beyond what I deserve, and I just pray all the time that what I do is not for me, what I do is for the kids,” she said.

She finished by saying, “I just want to thank you and tell you how honored and humbled I am and that I’ll be praying for you too.”

Dyer teaches reading enrichment, ninth-grade literature, yearbook, and teaching as profession pathway classes. She has a master’s degree in education from the University of Georgia and has been teaching for 20 years, the past decade in Fannin County. Dyer has also worked with students at Mountain Education Charter High, Lumpkin County High, Towns County High, and the Georgia Virtual School.

Jill Dyer named Fannin County Teacher of the Year

The nominees for Fannin County School System Teacher of the Year were all named teacher of the year from their respective schools in the district. They are, from left, West Fannin’s Kimberly Brannon, East Fannin’s Dana Harper, Fannin High’s Jill Dyer, Blue Ridge’s Ashley Coffinger, and Fannin Middle’s David Queen.

Jill and David Dyer have been married for nearly 30 years and have two children. Courtney Dyer is a graduate of Georgia Southern University and currently in law school at Florida State. Dusty Dyer is a University of Georgia graduate currently attending Augusta University’s School of Applied Health Science as a doctoral candidate in physical therapy. Dusty graduated from Fannin County, while Courtney graduated from Lumpkin County.

Each school in the district named a teacher of the year for their school, with one being awarded the system-wide honor.

Dyer will now go on to the state level. This will be the 50th year Georgia has named a state-wide teacher of the year.

Gwatney said before the announcement how important teachers are to the community.

“Teachers, behind each of your awards are countless hours and preparation and work to broaden the minds, build the characters, and better the lives of students,” Gwatney said.

“I’d like to congratulate you by being recognized by your peers as the teacher of the year at your own school. What an honor to be recognized as exemplary by your colleagues.”

Jill Dyer named Fannin County Teacher of the Year

Blue Ridge Elementary’s Ashley Coffinger, center, was named the runner-up for system-wide teacher of the year at the annual banquet Tuesday. Pictured are, from left, school board member Bobby Bearden, Assistant Superintendent Robert Ensley, school board chairman Lewis Deweese, Superintendent Dr. Michael Gwatney, school board member Mike Cole, Coffinger, Deputy Superintendent Betsy Hyde, Blue Ridge Elementary Principal April Hodges, school board vice-chairman Chad Galloway, Assistant Superintendent Darren Danner, and school board member Terry Bramlett.

Ashley Coffinger was named the system’s runner-up as Blue Ridge Elementary’s Teacher of the Year. Coffinger has taught for eight years, all at Blue Ridge. She holds a master’s in mathematics and is currently a special education teacher focusing on second-grade curriculum and behavior expectations. Coffinger and her husband live in Fannin County where they are raising four sons.

The remaining teachers of the years from each school included Dana Harper from East Fannin Elementary. Harper teaches first grade and has previously taught second grade during her 16-year career.

West Fannin’s Teacher of the Year is Kimberly Brannon. She is the lead special education teacher at the school and focuses on pre-k through third grade. She has taught for 16 years in the Gilmer and Fannin school systems. Kimberly and Tim Brannon have been married for 15 years and have three children.

David Queen was honored by Fannin County Middle School as Teacher of the Year. Queen works on the sixth-grade team providing support in math, ELA, science, and social studies. He has been teaching for 20 years, with the last four being at Fannin Middle.

The five school winners were vetted by a team from the Pioneer Regional Service Agency (RESA), according to Gwatney. This included completing a set of questions that are part of the application for state teacher of the year and answering questions during a face-to-face interview.

Those questions and interviews are evaluated and a winner and runner-up are selected.

For more information on Pioneer RESA, visit https://www.pioneerresa.org.

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