I’m engaged to my favorite teacher from high school
A “teacher sweetheart” got engaged to her favorite schoolteacher – despite a 25-year age difference that sees them mistaken for grandmother and granddaughter.
Monica Ketchum, 31, of Big Rapids, Michigan, 16 years after she left school decided to search Facebook for her favorite teacher in school to see how she was doing.
When 56-year-old Michelle Foster — who taught Monica science in 2004 when she was a teenager — got a message on Facebook from her former student, she was surprised, but the pair bonded over lunch and quickly became good friends.
Michelle had been in a relationship with a woman in the past and Monica had also just come out as gay.
Their supportive friendship intensified until it became clear that there was a romantic connection – despite their unusual connection and 25-year age difference.
Monica Ketchum, 31, of Big Rapids, Michigan, with her fiancé Michelle Foster, 56, who taught her science in 2004
Monica and Michelle take a selfie with a pride flag in the background. The couple is regularly mistaken for mother and daughter, but shrugs it off
Monica proposed in September 2022 and Michelle returned the favor by popping the question back the following month.
The pair say they are mistaken for mother and daughter “several times a day” and a stranger even mistook Michelle for Monica’s grandmother, but they shrug – saying they “don’t even notice” the age difference.
And while they’ve been targeted by trolls, who claim that Michelle “groomed” Monica, they say it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Monica, a forklift driver and content creator, said, “Michelle was my seventh grade teacher and she was my favorite — I was a teacher’s pet.
“We didn’t have any relationship except that she was a good teacher – until I got in touch on Facebook 16 years later.
“I’ve always been attracted to older people, so the gap wasn’t a problem for me, but Michelle worried about it at first.
“People always ask if she’s my mom – I even recently designed a T-shirt that says, ‘No, she’s not my mom.’
Monica proposed in September 2022 and Michelle returned the favor by popping the question back the following month
The pair connected on Facebook when Monica decided to visit her old teacher, 16 years after she last saw her
Monica with her children from her previous marriage. Zeke and Charlie with Michelle
“I try to let it go, but it hurts – age doesn’t matter to us, so why should it matter to other people?”
Michelle said: ‘I was always willing to support former students, I was very happy to reconnect.
“I’ve always been a huge caregiver and one day she said, ‘Let me take care of you’ – I can’t tell you how good that felt.
“I was worried about the age difference and I was worried about how we first met, but I had to let it all go.
“It became clear that I had to make a choice for myself, and when I did, the weight of the world was lifted.
“Once I let go, it didn’t matter what anyone thought. Since I let go of that, we just blossomed.
“I realized that other people can think what they think and that I just have to do what I have to do to be happy.
“Now I think how lucky I am to have such a wonderfully beautiful soul to spend the rest of my days with.”
Michelle had been Monica’s seventh grade teacher. Monica, then 13, had been “the good student,” and Michelle became her favorite teacher.
Monica said people ask if Michelle is her mother, which she finds bizarre when they see them kissing or holding hands
Monica and Michelle take a selfie wearing cowboy hats. The pair became friends after connecting on Facebook and then realized they had romantic feelings for each other
Although their relationship then remained professional, Michelle left such an impression that 17 years later, in April 2020, Monica decided to find her on Facebook.
Monica had just been through a difficult family situation – she had been raised strongly Christian and had become estranged from her family when she came out as gay.
She had remembered that Michelle’s supportive classroom was a “safe place” for her when she was younger and reached out.
Michelle also had a hard time when Monica reached out and they supported each other by talking online.
In August 2021, they finally met for the first time.
Monica said, “We sat and had lunch for five hours — it was great catching up.
“We bonded and became good friends — we could talk about anything.
“We were both in very dark places and finding someone you can relate to and be vulnerable with felt safe.”
People have accused Michelle (left) of taking care of Monica because they first met when she was a 13-year-old college student, but nothing could be further from the truth
When they first met, Michelle (left) had dated a woman in the past, and Monica had also just come out as gay
The couple, pictured with Monica’s children Zeke and Charlie, said they want to be an inspiration to other LGBT couples in age-gap relationships
They ended their previous relationships to be together in May 2022 with Michelle and her wife filing for divorce.
The couple – who both have children from previous marriages – have been living together ever since.
Monica said that despite the age difference, they have a lot in common as they bond over music, camping, outdoor activities and hunting for locally brewed beer.
Monica said, “In the beginning, the age difference was the biggest problem for Michelle – I wasn’t really worried.
“I’ve always been attracted to older people — I’m attracted to an old soul, so age has never been a thing for me.
“Michelle and I were always close, and we found commonality, so I didn’t even see an age difference.”
The couple got engaged at the end of last year, after organizing separate proposals for each other.
They are now planning their wedding, which will take place in June 2023.
But the ride isn’t always smooth sailing — and because of their big age difference, Monica explained that they’re often mistaken for mother and daughter.
She said, “People ask all the time, ‘Is that your mom’ or even ‘Is that your grandma.
“We’ve learned to laugh or wave it off, but when you see me kissing her, why ask if she’s my mother?”
She added, “Another question I get is if I loved her when I was 13 — of course not!
“At the time we didn’t have a relationship except that she was a good teacher.”
Despite people misunderstanding their relationship, the couple posted themselves on social media.
They explained that they want to be “open in the community that needs a voice” – both because they are LGBT and because of their age difference.
Monica said, “We want to be where others find hope, light and safety or need a friend.
‘We want to surround everyone in a loving way and spread the message that love is love.’
Monica added: “We get harassed a lot because of our age difference and we don’t understand it.
“Age doesn’t matter to us, so why does it matter to other people?
“If I allow myself to sit there and think about it, I go crazy — I try to let it go, but it hurts.
“Love is love and we can love whoever we want.”