The Greatest Gift for a Teacher Who Changed Your Life

A teacher from Edina, Minnesota, is really feeling the love from her students during a difficult time.

Jessica Froehlich, a beloved AP Literature, dance and theater teacher at Edina High School, has been struggling as her husband, Steve, battles an advanced stage of cancer. To cheer her up during her visits with him in the ICU, Froehlich's students got together to create a video showing how much she's changed their lives.

Alec Fischer, a University of Minnesota sophomore and Froehlich's former student, assembled the video, titled, "The Secret Love Project for Mrs. Froehlich." He enlisted 75 of Froehlich's current and former students to record uplifting messages for her.

In the montage, students share memories of how Froehlich inspired them. They also thank her for showing them how to love and accept themselves.

"I think the most important thing is that you helped me remember that I love to read, and that it's okay to love to read," says one student, and another shares, "As someone who wants to be a high school teacher, I definitely look up to you as a role model and an inspiration."

"I was just so overwhelmed," Froehlich told the Good News blog. "Teaching is such a hard job. You don't get a lot of praise for it. It was really validating and made me think about the things you do in the classroom that go beyond teaching a skill set."

"I can't thank him enough," she says of Alec. "I think it is the greatest gift I have ever received. It was humbling to have that outpouring."

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