ACWORTH, Ga. — A special education teacher who taught for years in Georgia wanted to be around the people who love her - and those she loved - on her wedding day.
That included four of Katie Wilke's students from Baker Elementary. The students drove all the way from Acworth to Cleveland, Tennessee just to watch her walk down the aisle.
One of her students, Youssouf, was her ring bearer.
"A little piece of Youssouf is literally a piece of my heart," Wilke said.
After teaching special education in Georgia for more than five years, Wilke said she built a strong relationship with her students and their families.
"They mean everything to me," said Wilke, who now lives and teaches in Colorado. "If you knew me, then you knew my students because I was posting them all the time - I am obsessed with them."
She said working with kids who live with special needs is so rewarding.
"People who have special needs, like, in the way that they communicate is so pure and it takes a lot of time to learn, but once you learn, what you can gain from that communication is just invaluable," she said.
Even though she lives hundreds of miles away from her students, Wilkes said they still make sure to keep in touch.