Tutor gets emotional as man learns Korean just to communicate with his newborn in his mother tongue

When Patrick stayed on the Zoom call with his Korean teacher, Grace Jin Kim (@gracesooda on Instagram), even after every other student had left, she thought he had some doubts about the lesson. Instead, Patrick surprised her with the most unexpected thing ever, leaving Kim smiling wide long after the call ended. 

Notably, Patrick had joined Kim's classes when he didn't even know a single Korean word. But, 8 months later, he could not only speak Korean but also decided to surprise his teacher by announcing the arrival of his child in Korean. "I have good news! Jina is pregnant," Patrick said, as Kim looked at him in total disbelief. "Thanks to you, I will speak to my son in Korean," he continued, as Kim's face brightened with pride, seeing her student communicating in a language he knew little about. Patrick thanked Kim for putting in the time and effort to teach him Korean, which made her extremely happy and proud to see that he had finally overcome his language barrier.

"Watching him share something this personal, in a language he worked so hard to learn, made me tear up. Patrick & Jina, your baby is already so loved," she shared. Patrick decided to share such personal news with Kim, perhaps, because she had some positive impact on his life, like most teachers. This heartwarming incident reminds us how important it is for teachers to have a comforting relationship with their students, which makes the learning process even more fruitful. In fact, research published in the Sage Journal found that a strong teacher-student bond is linked to higher students' academic progress. To get to the results, researchers used multiple "student engagement" indicators like psychological engagement, academic grades, school attendance, disruptive behaviors, suspension, and dropout. In the end, it all came down to whether the student felt safe and seen in their teacher's presence.

The video has gained 571k views online since it was published on June 17, 2025. @speakonwithhanna commented, "As a teacher, I LOVE moments like this. This is exactly why I teach! My heart has completely melted!" @tahine_hamoa confessed, "This is amazing. I feel the same way about my Korean teacher because I was able to communicate in Korean with my in-laws. Imagine if I didn’t know how to speak Korean, the barrier would’ve made it difficult to bond."

Similarly, @la_rocque_melanie said, "This is the paycheck! I had goosebumps hearing this for you. I know, as a teacher, we don't always know when we make a difference, but this time, you knew you had a huge impact on this man." @zastig_f said, "The kind of moment that makes all of the efforts, anxieties, struggles, and worries of starting up a new venture like this all worth it. And congrats to Patrick and his wife!" @sarahyi shared, "I would never have guessed you weren't Korean American. You sound like a typical Korean American trying to improve their Korean skills. 8 months only? This is incredible. Wow! Congrats on the hard work and the baby news!"

You can follow Grace Jin Kim (@gracesooda) on Instagram to learn more about the Korean language.