I married my favorite schoolteacher despite 25-year age gap – people ask if she’s my grandma even after they see us kissing
A ‘teacher’s pet’ married her favorite teacher after the pair fell in love despite a 25-year age difference.
Monica Foster, 32, first met her current wife, Michelle, 57, in 2004 when she was her science teacher in Big Rapids, Michigan.
Seventeen years later, Monica, a self-described “teacher pet,” took to Facebook to check on her former favorite teacher.
Michelle had been in a relationship with a woman in the past, and Monica had also just publicly come out as a lesbian.
The pair met and became close friends before developing a romantic connection – despite being mistaken for mother and daughter ‘several times a day’.
Monica Ketchum (left) and her ‘favorite teacher’ Michelle (right) got married despite a 25-year age difference
The couple ignored daily online abuse from trolls and got engaged in the fall of 2022.
They got married earlier this year and said they are happier than ever after a ‘perfect day’ with a private beach wedding.
Michelle, a now retired teacher, said: ‘When Monica first reached out I was always keen to support former students so I was really happy to reconnect.
‘As we got closer, I was worried about the age difference and how we first met, but I had to let it all go.
‘Our wedding was a beach wedding on a beautiful day – and it was just perfect.
‘It’s amazing how quickly the year has flown by since we got engaged, it’s quite mind-boggling.
“It’s amazing and very surreal, after all, we know we have this.”
Monica, a school bus driver, said: ‘Our wedding day was so important to me. I don’t care what people think because they don’t live my life, I do.
Monica and Michelle were married in an intimate ceremony on Lake Michigan with close friends and family (the couple is pictured above on their wedding day)
The newlyweds live with two children Zeke (top center) and Charlie (bottom center), Monica’s children from a previous marriage
Monica decided to look up her favorite teacher from school on Facebook to see how she was doing
“It just felt so special.”
Michelle had been Monica’s favorite teacher in seventh grade, when Monica, then thirteen, had been “the good student.”
Although their relationship remained professional at the time, Michelle left such an impression that Monica decided to find her on Facebook 17 years later in April 2020.
Monica had just experienced a difficult situation and recalled that Michelle’s supportive classroom was a “safe place” for her when she was younger and reached out.
They started talking online before eventually meeting again for the first time in 17 years in August 2021.
Over lunch they talked about their lives and over time they grew to be good friends.
Michelle was shocked when Monica contacted us, but after they went to lunch the pair quickly bonded
The couple ended their previous relationships to be together in May 2022, with Michelle and her wife filing for divorce
Monica and Michelle bonded over their love of music, camping, outdoor activities and seeking out locally brewed beer
Monica said, “We were both in a very dark place at the time, and it felt safe to find someone you could relate to and be vulnerable with.”
They ended their previous relationships to be together in May 2022, with Michelle and her wife filing for divorce.
The couple has been living together ever since.
Monica said despite their 25-year age difference, they have a lot in common: They bond over music, camping, outdoor activities and hunting for locally brewed beer.
Although Monica “wasn’t really worried” about the age difference, Michelle initially struggled with it because of people’s assumptions.
The couple got engaged in the fall of 2022, after staging separate proposals for each other so they both had a chance to propose
Although Monica “wasn’t really worried” about the age difference, Michelle initially struggled with it due to people’s assumptions
The couple now lives with Monica’s children from her previous marriage, Zeke (right), 7, and Charlie (left), 5
She said: ‘People ask, ‘Is that your mother?’ or even “Is that your grandma?” always.
“We’ve learned to laugh or brush it off, but when you see me kissing her, why would you ask if she’s my mother?”
‘Another question I’m asked is whether I loved her when I was thirteen – obviously not.
“We had no relationship at the time other than she was a good teacher.”
The couple got engaged in the fall of 2022, after staging separate proposals for each other so they both had a chance to propose.
As their big day approached, the couple had a small beach wedding on June 17 in Suttons Bay, on the shore of Lake Michigan, and said their vows in a small nearby cottage with just a handful of those closest to them.
After a whirlwind year, the couple is ready to settle down and spend time together at home
Then they sang along to ‘Good As Hell’ by Lizzo on the waterfront before they ‘had a beer in the woods’.
Two nights earlier they had a separate ‘mini wedding’ with Monica’s children Zeke, seven, and Charlie, five, so they could enjoy the experience too.
Monica said: ‘They still talk about it – Charlie asks if she can wear her ‘wedding dress’.
“Zeke wore a rainbow bow tie.”
After enjoying a relaxing honeymoon in Traverse City, the newlyweds are back home and ready to relax as wife and wife.
Michelle said: “This year has flown by quickly; we have traveled so much this past year.
“We’re just ready to be home together – I’m ready for some boredom.”
Monica added, “It’s time to settle down.”