student teacher

American

noun

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.

student teacher British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

student teaching

noun

Etymology

Origin of student teacher

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

The strike was voted on by members of United Auto Workers Local 4811, which represents about 48,000 graduate student teacher assistants, tutors, researchers and other academic workers.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2024

The marriage ended in divorce after he began a relationship with Denise Aldred, a student teacher at Hereford.

From New York Times • Mar. 29, 2023

Wright, then a student teacher at a Charleston elementary school, led the child out to the hallway for a chat.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 23, 2022

Won an award for student teacher of the year from the dean of the school of education.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023