There are two teachers in Roald Dahl's Matilda who play significant roles in the story. The first of these is Miss Honey, who is Matilda's class teacher. Miss Honey lives alone—in poverty, in fact—but she does not allow her personal circumstances to affect her teaching. She is an inspirational teacher who forms a close bond with Matilda, and at the end of the story, the two find their escape from their abusive childhoods in their bond with each other.

The other significant teacher figure in the story is Miss Trunchbull. Agatha Trunchbull is the fearsome headmistress of Matilda's primary school, notorious for her draconian methods of punishing the pupils. It is revealed in the story that Miss Trunchbull is actually Miss Honey's aunt, having been appointed Miss Honey's guardian when she was orphaned. Miss Trunchbull's parenting methods were not dissimilar to her teaching methods, and Miss Honey suffered considerably as a child at her hands.