WATCH: Teacher Includes Special Needs Students in Wedding Ceremony

A special education teacher in Milledgeville, Georgia, made sure her students played an important role on her wedding day.

Colleen Powell said there was an instant connection with the three boys when she took a teaching position at Lakeview Academy three years ago, according to First Coast News.

“Especially just having five or six kids, they become your own. Since I don’t have any kids of my own, I call these three my babies,” Powell commented.

The teacher knew she wanted to make them part of her upcoming wedding ceremony, so she asked their parents for permission.

At first, Korde Solomon’s mother, Shiquana, did not believe it.

“When she first asked me, I really thought she was just playing,” the young mom said.

Jamoris Hurt’s mother, Camellia, echoed her statement. “My original thought was, ‘She is just saying that to be nice.'”

However, Powell was serious about her request and the smiles on the children’s faces were enough for them to say yes.

On the big day, Jamoris and Korde carried the rings, while Dominic Banks held his teacher’s hand as he walked her down the aisle with her father.

Dominic’s mom, Ingried, said the day was one the boys will always remember, adding, “It was just a blessing for her to have our kids in the wedding.”

Special education teachers should truly love spending time in the classroom with their students, according to the Saint Joseph’s University (SJU) website.

“Children instinctively know when they are loved and a teacher plays a key role in their development. It is imperative that teachers feel a genuine love and joy for children and their chosen career.”

Because of her love and dedication, Korde has done extremely well in Powell’s classroom. “I just thank God for her,” his mom said.

“Just sitting here thinking about it makes me emotional, because for someone to love your child as much as you do, and it’s hard when you have a child that is nonverbal,” Hurt noted, adding, “She has a special place in my heart.”

When the big day came to a close, Powell said she could not have made it down the aisle without the boys by her side.

“They’re just the biggest piece of my heart, and they mean as much to me as my bridesmaids did, and as much as my husband’s groomsmen,” she concluded.

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