Only three students turned up to this teacher's movie night, and it turned out to be fantastic

High school teacher Richard Heilemann had a heartwarming idea to help his students feel more connected amid coronavirus.

However, when the US art history teacher decided to host a weekly art-themed movie night, he was effectively "stood up" by most of his pupils.

Heilemann was stunned and disappointed to see that from his class of 32 students, only three showed up to the first of many Zoom film screenings.

One of them, 17-year-old Kayla Hernds, documented the moment on TikTok.

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The California teen's video racked up 13 million views, resonating with students and teachers alike as they continue to grapple with the challenges of virtual learning during the pandemic.

"I wanted them to know that teachers are really important," Hernds, who has been attending virtual classes throughout the pandemic, told Insider. 

"When they're trying to support you, you should support them."

Heilemann's 'Monday Movie' sessions start at 4:30 p.m. each week, with students watching movies like The Agony and the Ecstasy and Girl with a Pearl Earring together.

The teacher of 16 years said he did not get his hopes up for the event, explaining to Insider, "I try to keep my expectations really mild. I know that there are so many demands being made on their time."

Still, Hernds, and thousands of TikTok users who watched her video, were disappointed with the turn out.

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"He's so sweet. He's so positive. It doesn't even seem like it was bothering him," she said.

"It bothers me because he's so nice. I don't know why other people wouldn't show up."

One viewer of Hernds' video wrote: "That made me sad, I wish I had him. I would have shown up,"

"Even though we hate school we got to take our time to appreciate and honour these teachers who take their time just to educate us," another said.

As her video gained popularity, Hernds emailed it to Heilemann with the subject line, "Movie Night is FAMOUS."

"It was just a few seconds of a poignant glimpse into how education feels right now: Distant," Heilemann said in response to the video's reaction.

Hernds has since launched a weekly watch party for people across the globe to tune into a film.

She estimated between 400 and 500 people sporadically joined in as they watched Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Heilemann said he's simply happy that more of his own students have joined Monday Movies, with attendance increasing to six people for the last call.

Hernds said that above everything else that's happened in her school year, she knew this moment would stay with her.

"My teacher, he'll probably remember this for the rest of his life, and I'll probably remember this for the rest of my life."