Jess Sims Teacher Appreciation Tour: 4-City Recap

The Jess Sims Teacher Appreciation Tour is a wrap, and the photos, brag boards, and classroom funding it left behind tell the story better than any highlight reel could.

Peloton instructor Jess Sims spent Teacher Appreciation Week hitting four cities with a full day of movement, community, and recognition for the educators who show up every single day. The Jess Sims Teacher Appreciation Tour drew attention well beyond the Peloton community, earning coverage from ABC News. As we covered when the tour was first announced, Sims came to Peloton in 2018 after a career that included Teach for America, kindergarten teaching in New York, and a role as assistant principal. This tour was never a brand activation for her. It was a homecoming.

The DonorsChoose Partnership

At the center of the Jess Sims Teacher Appreciation Tour was a meaningful partnership with DonorsChoose, the education nonprofit that connects teachers with donors to fund classroom projects at underfunded schools. Sims and Peloton used the tour to direct resources into the communities each city stop served. By the time the first two cities wrapped, the Jess Sims Teacher Appreciation Tour had already funded 16 classroom projects through DonorsChoose. That number reflects real materials, real classrooms, and real students who otherwise would have gone without.

Watch the Jess segment starting at :55

Seattle: Where It Kicked Off

Seattle served as the first stop on the Jess Sims Teacher Appreciation Tour, and Sims brought what she called “studio energy to the West Coast.” The event featured a free full-body strength class, a meet-and-greet, and a Paper Mate Flair brag board where teachers wrote down their wins, their resilience, and their reasons for showing up. One note read simply: “25 years remission.” Another mentioned six years of 4:15 a.m. workouts. The room also included a meditation session alongside gift bags and photo moments for the selected educators in attendance.

Houston: Educators Shaping Tomorrow

Houston was next, and the energy matched the mission. The Jess Sims Teacher Appreciation Tour stop there took place in a school gym setting, with rows of teachers working through the free strength class on mats laid across a basketball court floor. Sims also led a panel discussion, creating space for educators to talk about their work, their challenges, and what sustains them. Together, Seattle and Houston were the two stops where the tour funded 16 DonorsChoose classroom projects, putting money into local schools as directly as it put sweat on the floor.

Detroit: Schools and Community

Detroit was dedicated to local teachers and school communities specifically, and it showed. The Jess Sims Teacher Appreciation Tour drew a full room at what appeared to be a school or community recreation space, with a Peloton banner anchoring the front. Jess led the free class from a small stage while attendees followed along on mats covering the hardwood floor. Her own Instagram stories from the stop show participants working through floor-based strength movements, the kind of session built to be accessible to every fitness level in the room.

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This fan shared his amazing experience meeting Jess in Detroit

NYC: The Grand Finale at Manhattan West Plaza

The Jess Sims Teacher Appreciation Tour closed out in New York City with an outdoor event at Manhattan West Plaza, steps from the Peloton storefront. The final stop carried a different energy from the indoor city events. Photos show a large group working through a free floor-based strength class on mats spread across the plaza, with Sims leading from a stage in the open air. A panel discussion also took place at the NYC stop, with teachers seated and listening as Sims and others spoke about education, wellness, and self-care. The NYC finale was the stop offered through a sweepstakes, giving one winner a travel and lodging package valued at $1,000 to attend.

The Brag Board Moments That Stopped the Room

One of the consistent threads across all four stops of the Jess Sims Teacher Appreciation Tour was the Paper Mate Flair brag board, a wall where attendees posted sticky notes about what they were proud of. Jess shared a closer look at one version of the board in her Instagram stories. The notes that surfaced say everything about who was in the room: a breast cancer survivor of nearly five years, a teacher with a six-year commitment to 4:15 a.m. workouts, someone excited to be there and proud of students who light up their days. These were not promotional moments. They were real people sharing real stakes.

$8,000 for Schools and 16 Funded Projects

The Jess Sims Teacher Appreciation Tour did not just celebrate teachers. It put money directly into their classrooms. Jess Sims shared in her Instagram stories that $4,000 went to Houston and $4,000 went to Detroit through DonorsChoose, made possible with support from Peloton and US Bank. Combined with the 16 classroom projects funded across the first two stops, the tour delivered $8,000 in total classroom funding across four cities. For a week built around honoring educators, that is the number that matters most.

Peloton Educator Discounts Are Still Available

Teacher Appreciation Week may be over, but Peloton educator pricing is a year-round benefit. Educators can access special pricing on Peloton equipment and App memberships directly through Peloton’s educator offers page. Current discounts include reduced pricing on the Cross Training Bike, Bike+, Tread, Tread+, Row+, and both refurbished bike options, along with savings on App One and App+ subscriptions monthly and annually. Verification goes through Peloton’s third-party partner, and one discount applies per eligible product. Educators, professors, deans, counselors, and school leaders all qualify.

For Jess Sims, the phrase she returns to most is the one that defines her approach on and off the platform: “You don’t have to. You get to.” For the teachers who showed up for the Jess Sims Teacher Appreciation Tour in Seattle, Houston, Detroit, and New York this week, that phrase landed with full weight.

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