Welcome to Chalkboard and Chill!
In this week’s episode, Tom and Larrissa talk about one of the most universally dreaded moments in teaching: being asked to teach a lesson that isn’t your subject specialism.
They share stories from years of covering lessons and teaching outside their comfort zones — from long-term English classes and PSHE discussions to surprise science cover, maths confusion, food tech disasters, and the ultimate panic of walking into a lesson with no resources and having to think on your feet.
They reflect on the strange politics of cover lessons, the difference between teaching kids you know versus complete strangers, and why students can “smell blood” the second they realise you’re not their usual teacher. There’s also a deep dive into PSHE: why it can be surprisingly rewarding, why it’s absolutely terrifying with younger year groups, and what happens when you accidentally end up teaching sex education while very visibly pregnant.
Naturally, things spiral into classic Chalkboard & Chill tangents — Gordon Ramsay cameos, poster-default lessons, the trauma of untouched cover work, agency cover life, and the quiet horror of realising more and more teachers are being asked to teach outside their specialisms.
They wrap up by reflecting on how close the end of term feels, the strange pre-Christmas exhaustion that hits schools hard, and the collective sense of “we’re nearly there” that keeps teachers going through the dark mornings and darker afternoons.
A funny, honest, and painfully relatable listen for anyone who’s ever walked into a classroom thinking, “Right… let’s just survive this.”-
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