substitute teacher

American  

[suhb-sti-toot teech-er] / ˈsʌb stɪˌtut ˈtitʃ ər /

noun

plural

substitute teachers

1. a person who temporarily teaches a class when the person who usually fills this role is unavailable.

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Example Sentences

He worked three years as a staffer for school board member Scott Schmerelson and five years as a district substitute teacher.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Marine Corps, had been walking home from his job as a substitute teacher at the school.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

During the day, he worked as a substitute teacher, and I worked at being a stand-up comedian in L.A., which, if you look closely enough, is not work at all.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

Kimberly Ann Polk was previously a substitute teacher in Montgomery County, Md., until the district enforced its policy to require addressing students with the pronouns of their asserted gender identities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

One day in the fall of 2015, two ninth-grade students sat in Biology class at Oakland High School watching a substitute teacher try in vain to control the classroom.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater