My Virtual Classroom Tour: Teach From Home Setup
The world’s weirdest school year has arrived and I’m ready to take you on a quick tour through my work-from-home classroom. A few things have changed since the spring, and that’s because the educational landscape has also changed. In the spring, we were scrambling. Now, in the fall, we are READY. Every scenario for back to school has felt unreal, unreasonable, and unfathomable, but in the end, I’m truly grateful for the decision to let us stay home and stay safe for our families.
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you tour through my at-home work space:
No one should feel the need to buy more stuff. I had empty Amazon boxes and stacks of books holding up my laptop in the spring — my decision to invest in a laptop stand was my own choice and not something you NEED in order to successfully teach at home.
Use what you have at home, but if you like something you see that could help you, I’d love for you to shop using my affiliate links. I’ll earn a tiny commission for your purchase, so thank you!
My setup needed to be “mobile”. I set it up every morning after the kids leave for daycare and I take it down at the end of each class and before I pick them up. My son loves to steal my microphone and pretend he’s a rockstar, so in order to keep it from getting broken, I have to put everything away!
The Planner:
This planner is from the Blue Sky brand and I found it at Target. Usually, I have my planners custom designed, but this year I just so happened to be at Target and found a layout that I really liked! I can’t find the exact one online, but I’ll keep looking and link it as soon as I can find it!
The Laptop Stand:
I’m currently only a few days into using this stand, but I’ve really liked this addition to my setup this year. The difference between a laptop stand and a stack of random books is the stability of the laptop while actually using it. If you’re just talking to students and using the camera, use a stack of books. But if you’re using the keyboard and mouse and trying to navigate while the camera is on, this feels more stable to me than awkwardly reaching around my soon to be toppled stack of novels.
The Microphone:
This mic is a solid addition to my classroom. I’ve been using it on the podcast (have you listened yet?) and it’s been nice to have reliable, clear audio for my lessons now, too. My microphone has been unavailable for a while now, but it looks like this one is very similar.
The Lipstick:
This might sound silly to list here, but on camera, I have this thing with my skin where my lips blend in to the color of my face. I always have a lipstick on me and I’m been using this lipstick from Neutrogena for years.
The Ring Light:
My workspace is in front of a huge window in my eating area which is LOVELY most days. But there are certain times of day or stormy weather days that make it a bit hard to see me on camera. This miniature ring light has been just the thing I needed. I also use this for my business when doing Instagram live events and taking pictures. It’s a ring light and phone holder all in one!
The Miscellaneous Accessories
Lined Post-its. I’ll never buy blank ones. These are the ultimate list makers!
Flair Ultra-Fine Point Pens. These write beautifully and last as long as my kids don’t get their hands on them.
Thermos. This one has been great so far. I’m collector of random cups, and this one has stayed in the rotation for a while!
The pencil notebook was a $2.50 steal from Target from the brand Gartner Studios.
This year will be unforgettable for so many reasons. Here’s wishing you the best of luck, positive vibes, and a reminder to TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF this year — even more than you have in previous years.
Cheers!
Let’s go shopping!
