Relief teacher is the Australian and New Zealand term for what Americans call a substitute teacher and Brits call a supply teacher — the fill-in educator who shows up when the regular teacher is absent. Relief teachers are the unsung heroes (and occasional targets) of school days gone sideways. Kids universally recognize the relief teacher as a signal that normal rules are slightly looser, while the teachers themselves often face the challenge of managing a class that smells opportunity.
Word spread through the classroom instantly: Mrs. Thompson was sick and a relief teacher was coming in.
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(Australia, New Zealand) A supply teacher.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.