I’m a fulltime teacher, but there was a time when I relied on substitute work, teaching everything from ESL to English composition, environmental ethics, even Arabic. I love teaching and don’t mind filling in when needed. Early this year I subbed for a colleague on bereavement leave, and I’m now on standby for a teacher who is “expecting” to go on maternity leave any time now… (Perhaps baby will wait until we go on winter break?)
None of what I’m saying pertains to this crossword except that the answer to the meta is a school subject that I taught at one point in my career.
Special thanks to Peter Abide for test solving and offering a few workaround suggestions. I'm also grateful for the XWord Muggles Forum and Crosshare community... Thanks for your support!
X
s and so "algebra" was my first guess… but (as a decided newbie to metas) I still don't understand (even after @Darth's explanation) the alternate letters. Are there no other alternatives for the letter that could take the place of each X? Thanks!