Here at Inspirit, there’s no one we love more than teachers. They work tirelessly and selflessly to do one of the most important jobs we can think of: teaching and shaping a new generation. That’s why the first week of May is one of our favorite weeks of the year–Teacher Appreciation Week 2022! Personally, we don’t think a week is enough (52 would be ideal in our opinion), so to make the most of it, we celebrated with five full days packed to the brim with teacher love. Here are some of our favorite highlights:

Our [#edutwitter](https://twitter.com/inspiritvr) teachers participated in fun challenges to win gift cards like describing their funniest story of the year in 5 words or less:

![teacher appreciation week story twitter 2022](//images.ctfassets.net/4yflszkpcwkt/5s7qvzpldvoC6Yd6AB40Cb/dfa3c130051eab2ef93726b9000ac2e3/Screen_Shot_2022-05-17_at_3.09.25_PM.png)

*[Source (top)](https://twitter.com/BeaulieuBio/status/1521131653766262784)*,
*[Source (bottom)](https://twitter.com/gm8585/status/1521231641695473664)*

We also had some great meme entries to describe teachers’ science classes:

![teacher appreciation week meme](//images.ctfassets.net/4yflszkpcwkt/3HxmkeQi1HBfqRDQW3f198/de398b3926c7daeffd07359036000584/New_Project.jpg)

*[Source](https://twitter.com/floydtheteach/status/1521493264465027080)*

As the #1 fan of educators everywhere, we care a lot about what they think. So, to top the week off, we invited science teachers to describe [Inspirit](https://www.inspiritvr.com) in one word. These were some of the entries we got: 

![teachers we're your #1 fan word cloud](//images.ctfassets.net/4yflszkpcwkt/3nnvvBB8L3u4Xlrq79ebS5/8b03e300f9b453f06be8e86dc164ae30/wordcloud.png)

The response absolutely thrilled us, and after interacting with so many incredible teachers, we'd like to close Inspirit’s Teacher Appreciation Week with some thoughts that will stay with us until next time! 

__1. YOU are inspirational!__

Over the past couple of years, teachers have worked tirelessly to give their students quality education while providing support through an endless sea of unprecedented and emotionally taxing worldwide events. Through zoom lectures, critically low levels of engagement, and a steep drop in morale, they didn’t give up. The strength, perseverance, and dedication shown by teachers in their work is something we should all aspire to.

__2. YOU are creative!__ 

We’re constantly in awe of the different methods teachers use to make learning easy, effective, and fun for their students (the creativity necessary to make a high schooler engage with Great Expectations is truly impressive). We saw so many examples of innovation and inventiveness in the content teachers produced using Inspirit’s tools for their classrooms.

__3. YOU should be appreciated year-round!__

Teachers are far more than just educators for their students. They’re also mentors, motivators, supporters, coaches, counselors, guides, and friends. They teach children not only curriculum but also kindness, patience, persistence, honesty, integrity (and the importance of regular handwashing). Teachers selflessly take on the responsibility of shaping a generation and teaching them not only to learn, but also to love learning—and for that, they deserve to be loved, recognized, and appreciated every day of the year. (They also have an exceptionally high tolerance for high schoolers’ anatomy jokes).

So, from the very bottom of our hearts here at Inspirit, thank you to educators everywhere. We couldn’t do it without you!

*If you’d like to explore the chance to be a paid content creator with Inspirit this summer, check out this link [here](https://www.inspiritvr.com/creators)! (The application takes less than 2 minutes).*


Here's how we celebrated one of our favorite weeks of the year, Teacher Appreciation Week 2022!

Teacher-Appreciation-Week-2022-1170x780

Teachers, We’re Your #1 Fan!

> *“[Virtual Reality]…is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to [Virtual Reality].”* 

                        -Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Inspirit and Meta have joined together to provide over one hundred Title 1 schools across the US with Meta Quest 2 VR headsets, curriculum, & training in 2023 through the VR Lab Starter Kit program. Are you a school or district interested in free Meta Quest 2 VR headsets and thousands of curriculum-aligned immersive learning tools? Learn more and apply [here](https://www.inspiritvr.com/vr-science-program).

Immersive technologies, like virtual reality (VR), are quickly revolutionizing the ways we think about all aspects of reality—from entertainment, to work, to learning.  Early research shows immersive technologies significantly improve information retention, problem-solving skills, and spatial-and-temporal relationship comprehension. Here at Inspirit, we believe that learning with 3D and VR is both the present and the future of education.  

Inspirit was founded in 2019 by two college friends who wanted to revolutionize the way future generations would learn science. Their ongoing research at Stanford University developed into a creator-focused platform where users engage in active learning: *doing* replaces reading and watching.

VR as a tool in education has “vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big” potential to not only improve outcomes, but also to make learning *fun*. Inspirit is committed to getting VR technology in the hands of educators and students throughout the nation, thus ensuring that the benefits of VR are not limited to a select few.

> *“It is staggering to realize the magnitude of the digital divide that still exists in our societies and how marginalized communities all around the world are being affected by this crisis.”* - Aditya Vishwanath, Inspirit’s CEO and Co-Founder.

To address this digital divide, Inspirit is proud to announce our partnership with Meta and the Meta Immersive Learning initiative **—the [VR Lab Starter Kit](https://www.inspiritvr.com/vr-science-program) —which will provide over one-hundred Title I and underrepresented-students-in-STEM-serving schools across the US with Meta Quest 2 VR headsets, curriculum, and training in 2023**.

## Accessible, highly-quality 3D & VR STEM resources for all teachers and students across the globe

Since our inception, Inspirit’s mission has evolved from simply creating powerful, high-quality 3D & VR STEM resources to also making them freely accessible to educators and students across the globe, regardless of socioeconomic status. Today, over 275k+ educators use Inspirit’s thousands of 3D models, simulations, and teaching tools to engage their students with visual learning.

> Aditya Vishwanath, Co-Founder and CEO of Inspririt, commented, *“This is why Amrutha and I started Inspirit in the first place: to inspire curiosity and a sense of wonder in learning across the most diverse and underserved science classrooms.”*

> *“I am beyond excited to have this opportunity to work with Meta to reduce the friction in making meaningful VR experiences accessible to all science teachers,”* echoed Amrutha Vasan, COO and Co-Founder of Inspirit.

The Meta Immersive Learning initiative aims to develop the next generation of virtual reality creators, fund high-quality immersive experiences to transform the way we learn, and increase access to technological learning tools. Through the VR Lab Starter Kit program, Inspirit and Meta will make their joint vision of transformative, accessible education a reality so that the road to being a chemist is just as exciting, immersive, and rewarding as the destination.

Learn more about the *VR Lab Starter Kit* program and find out if your school qualifies [here](https://www.inspiritvr.com/vr-science-program).

Applications to join the VR Lab Starter Kit program open on September 1, 2022. Find out if your school qualifies and [apply today](https://www.inspiritvr.com/vr-lab-application) to be one of the first to receive a VR Lab Starter Kit in January, 2023.

### About Inspirit

Inspirit is a growing 3D and virtual reality education platform that turns learning into an immersive, interactive experience that feels like a game. Inspirit seeks to develop and make powerful, high-quality VR & 3D STEM resources universally available. Inspirit offers over 1500 3D models, interactive simulations, and 3D-embedded study guides across biology, chemistry, and physics. Most importantly, Inspirit is a flourishing community of over 275K+ teachers and students revolutionizing what it means to teach and learn.

### Inspirit’s Commitment to Students and Teachers

Inspirit is deeply committed to protecting the data & privacy of our teachers and students. Inspirit’s mission is to build immersive learning experiences for all learners around the globe, and we actively work to stay on top of safety & compliance before entering the classroom.


A new partnership between Inspirit and the Meta Immersive Learning Initiative, the VR Lab Starter Kit program, will provide Meta Quest 2 VR headsets, Inspirit’s 3D and VR curriculum, and training to over one-hundred Title 1 schools throughout the US in 2023. 

Start Your School’s VR Lab with Inspirit x Meta Immersive Learning Initiative | The Educator’s Guide to Virtual Reality

“[Virtual Reality] … is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to [Virtual Reality]. ”

-Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy