Whitney Young High School teacher surprises her students at their homes, documenting her journey

In the age of COVID-19, with parents suddenly thrust into the position of educating their children, millions of families are realizing how essential teachers are.

Monday kicks off Teacher Appreciation Week, inspiring nearly everyone to give thanks and praise for the teachers in their lives.

Jeanette Gordon is a dance teacher at Whitney Young High School.

"She's found the perfect balance between being a teacher and a friend," said Naomi Wu, a student at Whitney Young.

Wu has taken dance from Gordon since 7th grade. Now a senior at Whitney Young, Wu and the other dance students missed out on their end of the year performance which would have been Saturday.

But Gordon had an idea.

"It was supposed to be our show night and I couldn't let it pass without seeing them," Gordon said.

She went to each student's house for a socially distant visit to check on them, and to deliver a souvenir.

Gordon made a total of 34 stops.

Wu gave Gordon the idea to document her stops, and she put a video together.

The trip went from 9 in the morning to 7 at night.

Gordon said that commitment to her students is just part of what it is to be a teacher.

"We do work hard, but we don't do it for the glory of all of it. We do it for our students," Gordon said.

Gordon also brought each girl the costume she would have worn on Saturday. They will be able to wear it for a virtual dance performance which is still being planned.