This story was originally published on Passionfruit.
We’re reaching out to some popular creators to get their best tips and tricks for success and better understand the ups and downs of life as a trailblazer on the internet.
This week, we caught up with Mr. Patrick, aka the Paper Pat, a TikToker with over 1.5 million followers known for making videos about his experience moving to Japan to become an English kindergarten teacher.
In his videos, Patrick shares tips for how to become a teacher in Japan and regularly recounts funny anecdotes about his students. Patrick, who is Black, also posts teachable moments with his young students, many of whom have rarely interacted with Black people. In one video with over 15 million views, Patrick explains that one student asked him, “You’re not chocolate?” and “Are you a human?”
In comments, Patrick has said that he is happy to be a “source of education” for his kids, and he often posts clips of their reactions to new things. For instance, one of Patrick’s most popular videos captures his students screaming in excitement as he brings in a caramel latte, which he says is typically viewed as “too sweet” for breakfast.
