John R. Tibbetts, an economics teacher from Worth County High School in Sylvester, is the 2018 Georgia Teacher of the Year.

The United States Military Academy graduate served 21 years as an officer in the U.S. Army, including service in Desert Storm. He also earned a master’s degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and worked in the private sector before deciding he wanted to teach students.

"I feed off their energy and the excitement of learning something new," he told the Georgia Department of Education.

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