student teacher

American  

noun

1. a student who is studying to be a teacher and who, as part of the training, observes classroom instruction or does closely supervised teaching in an elementary or secondary school.

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student teacher British  

noun

1. a person who is teaching in a school for a limited period under supervision as part of a course to qualify as a teacher

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• student teaching
  noun

Etymology

Origin of student teacher

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

"I was a student teacher during Meg's time here," says Harries.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

It places new teachers in elementary classrooms even if they haven’t participated in a student teacher program and creates an alternative pathway for them to get teaching licenses.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 23, 2022

“I was supposed to get a student teacher this semester but I didn’t,” the teacher said.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2022

Thirteen months ago, the Supreme Court held in her case that K-12 schools cannot police off-campus speech not directed at any student, teacher or administrator.

From Washington Post • Jul. 27, 2022

Cased in sweat now, I glanced at Mr. Monk, our student teacher for English.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell