I am a public school teacher

 

I am a public school teacher.

Public school is from 1570s, originally, in Britain, a grammar school endowed for the benefit of the public, but most have evolved into boarding-schools for the well-to-do. The main modern meaning in U.S., "school (usually free) provided at public expense and run by local authorities," is attested from 1640s.

school  "place of instruction," O.E. scol, from L. schola, from Gk. skhole "school, lecture, discussion," also "leisure, spare time," originally "a holding back, a keeping clear," from skhein "to get" + -ole by analogy with bole "a throw," stole "outfit," etc.

The original notion is "leisure," which passed to "otiose discussion," then "place for such." The PIE root is *segh- "to hold, hold in one's power, to have" (see scheme). The Latin word was widely borrowed, cf. O.Fr. escole, Fr. école, Sp. escuela, It. scuola, O.H.G. scuola, Ger. Schule, Swedish skola, Gaelic sgiol, Welsh ysgol, Russian shkola. Replaced Old English larhus "lore house."

Meaning "students attending a school" is attested from c.1300; sense of "school building" is first recorded 1590s. Sense of "people united by a general similarity of principles and methods" is from 1610s; hence school of thought (1864). School of hard knocks "rough experience in life" is recorded from 1912 (in George Ade); to tell tales out of school "betray damaging secrets" is from 1540s.

Teacher The word "teacher" is the noun form of the verb "teach". The word "teach" derives from the Old English word tæcan which means to show, point out, or give instruction. In 1290, the word teacher began to be used for the index finger, or "one that points out". By 1300, it took on its modern meaning, or "one who teaches".