Every year, many students give their teachers gifts during the holidays to show their appreciation.

• 11 students pooled money for $300 Enchroma glasses
• Michael Hoffman said seeing color for the first time was emotional
• Sophomore Jun Ling said the got the idea from YouTube video
  

At Haines City High School, a group of students gave their French teacher a life-changing gift.

Eleven students pooled their money together to buy French teacher Michael Hoffman, 63, a pair of $300 Enchroma glasses. When worn on top of prescription glasses, the Enchroma glasses allowed the color blind teacher to see colors for the first time.

"It was a total surprise. They'd been planning it for months, and for once these kids kept a secret which I didn’t think a teenager could do," Hoffman said.

Sophomore Jun Ling was the ringleader. He said he loved Hoffman's French class.

"We wanted to show our appreciation to him and show that we cared," said Ling.

Ling said two teachers pitched in money to help.

Hoffman called seeing color for the first time emotional.

"I would say it's like if a blind person could suddenly see," Hoffman said. "It's a bit overwhelming. It's kind of like overwhelming at first. Like the colors are so vibrant and everything is 3d-ing me and coming at me."

Now, he wants to catch up on everything he's missed out on.

"I want to see everything. I want to see all the art I've never seen. Movies. You know when I was kid the Wizard of Oz came once a year. I never knew it switched from black and white to color," Hoffman said.

Before, Hoffman said he was only able to see light and dark shades of gray, and a little bit of yellow. It presented him with many challenges such as deciphering the color of stoplights.

"I did run a light once and the police man stopped me and I said, if it's any good I'm colorblind. And he said, 'I'm really sorry, here's your ticket,'" Hoffman recalled, chuckling.

With the new glasses, that's all behind him now. He'd heard of them before but didn't want to spend the money on them. He said that’s what made the Hanukah gift all the more special.

"It's really making me really appreciate how lucky I am to have this job and work with these great kids,” Hoffman said.

Ling said he got the idea from a YouTube video.

Hoffman said in his 29 years of teaching, this is the best thing students have done for him.