The schoolteacher who helps Matilda in Roald Dahl’s novel is Miss Honey.
Miss Honey is Matilda Wormwood’s gentle and encouraging classroom teacher. She recognises Matilda’s exceptional intelligence and tries to protect her from the cruelty of Miss Trunchbull, the school’s authoritarian headmistress. Unlike Matilda’s parents, Miss Honey values reading, curiosity, and education.
The novel eventually reveals that Miss Honey has endured poverty and family abuse. Her personal history connects her to Miss Trunchbull and gives the story an emotional resolution beyond Matilda’s supernatural abilities. Matilda’s friendship with Miss Honey becomes one of the book’s central relationships.
Miss Honey is sometimes confused with Miss Trunchbull because both are teachers at Crunchem Hall Primary School. Their roles are opposites: Miss Honey is compassionate and supportive, while Miss Trunchbull is punitive and intimidating. The name “Honey” also reflects the character’s kindness.