On January 1st, I sent a message that had been years in the making. I told my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Roth, that 2025 would be the year I’d give her a hug and finally make a long-overdue visit to my teacher.

If you’ve followed my writing, you know Mrs. Roth has been more than just a teacher to me, she’s been a constant. I shared my deep appreciation for her in one of my early blog posts titled, Eternal Memories Manifest Hope for the Future, and later, I invited her to memorialize our special story in my book, The Leader Inside, where we wrote together, a teacher and former student reflecting on a relationship that had grown into something much deeper than either of us could have imagined. As I stepped into a formal leadership role, she became a mentor to me in a new way, drawing from her own experience serving in various administrative roles before retiring as an assistant superintendent. As I mentioned in the book, “our lives are a collection of stories,” and some of the most meaningful ones begin in childhood classrooms and continue unfolding for decades.

Just a few weeks ago, on a spur-of-the-moment whim, we decided it was time to close the gap between us, not just in miles, but in presence. I made the trip upstate. No grand plan, just a knowing that it was the right time.

When I pulled into her long driveway and stepped out of the car, she was already waiting. We embraced…really embraced. It had been over two decades, but somehow it felt like no time had passed at all. We talk weekly, sometimes more, but this moment? It was different.

As I walked into her home, I was greeted with even more love – her husband welcomed me with warmth, and her two beautiful golden retrievers came bounding over. The younger one, Gus, a playful puppy, wasted no time licking my face from top to bottom as if he’d known me forever. It was the kind of welcome that makes you feel like you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Her cottage in the back of her house was serene, with a wide window that opened to nature. Peaceful. Present. On the table sat my book, not once, but twice—one in the cottage, one in the main house. I hadn’t expected that. As I wrote in The Leader Inside, “gifts live within exceptional educators, waiting to be unwrapped by the right place, at the right time, with the right people.” And that’s exactly what this visit felt like, a  gift I hadn’t realized I needed until I received it.

She had all of my favorite snacks waiting. She’d asked my parents what I loved most because that’s who she is. The kind of teacher and human being who pays attention, even years later. As we spent time together, she brought me to the little towns she loves. We shopped, ate at some of her favorite restaurants, and took plenty of pictures. And everywhere we went, she proudly told people, “This is my fourth-grade student.” They listened with wide eyes as she shared our story, one that began with book reports and read-alouds, and has since been bound in print, spoken into podcasts, and lived out in weekly conversations about leadership, life, and everything in between.

Our time together was special. We talked, of course, about education. But mostly we talked about what was inside our hearts, about our journeys, our choices, our hopes. It was during one of those quiet conversations that I realized something important: this wasn’t about school at all anymore. Our connection had deepened beyond that. As I wrote in the book, “the most impactful people in our lives can see what’s inside you before you can even see it yourself.” That’s who she’s always been to me. The person who knows what I need to hear, even when it’s not what I want to hear.

If you’re an educator reading this, take a moment. Look at your students. Look at your colleagues and the community you serve. You may never know the full reach of your words, your presence, your belief in them. One of them may carry you with them for decades. One of them may write a book one day and include your name in it. One of them may find their way back to your front door, simply to say: “You mattered.”

And as for that promise I made on January 1st?

I kept it.

And it was everything I hoped it would be and more.

A visit to my teacher.

 Moments I’ll carry with me forever.