I worry about using my own configuration for teaching carpentries workshops. So I set up my own little nix derivation to contain only what most other participants will have.
Assuming you have nix all set and ready, simply run the following:
nix-shell myCarpShell.nix --run "bash -l"The -l flag ensures that the user's $HOME/.bashrc is not sourced. Typically this is a better default as most people do not modify /etc/profile which is a good thing.