The Teacher Mentality: Five Essential Mindsets

By Timothy Allen, EdD ’13, associate professor of education

As a high school basketball coach, I spend 80% of my time building and sustaining my players’ mentality. I can’t control the ups and downs of the game – the adversity, stress, or missed shots – but I can help my players develop the mentality needed to push through and perform at their best.

When my players huddle around me, I sound like a motivational speaker:

“Mental toughness, that’s what we need!”
“Stay together! No matter the ups and downs, we are one unit, always!”
“Just be resilient! Push through and stay focused on the next play.”

I say things to inspire them, challenge their mindsets, and help them dig deep to overcome the situation.

Why then, as educators, do we act so differently? Why do we seem to focus all our thoughts and discussion on programs and problems?

The requirements of teaching have become increasingly stressful. Curriculum changes with the wind, and we must practice fidelity. Many students are demonstrating behavioral challenges and apathy. Parents fight us more than they support us. Principals are under a lot of pressure, and many pass that pressure on to teachers. Data meetings often feel like they devalue all of our good work.

No wonder we are so stressed.

That’s why we must turn to mentality. Just as basketball players can rise to any occasion with strong mental toughness and a sense of togetherness, teachers can navigate their challenges if they have developed the right mentality.

Mentality is a collection of mindsets that shape a person’s outlook, beliefs, and perspective.

The teacher mentality is a collection of mindsets that can equip teachers to navigate challenges and enjoy the ride. These mindsets must be cultivated and nourished. Mentality should be the center of all professional work. Mentality first, everything else second.

Below are the five mindsets I believe comprise the teacher mentality, along with ideas for embedding each in our schools and practice.

Mindset #1: Deep love of kids

Educators must love kids, period. We must love having fun with kids, laughing with kids, and seeing kids grow. The days of teaching because we love our content are over. Relationships must be our favorite part of the job. And we must love the toughest kids the most. Our deep love of kids should give us a sense of purpose in what we do and allow us to push through the never-ending stress.

How can a school and/or individual build this?

Schedule time during PD for small groups of educators to reflect upon their relationship-building with students.
Hold a “deep love of kids” support group that includes counselors and teachers.
Build systems that highlight students’ positive attributes and accomplishments that might otherwise go overlooked.
Leaders should discuss the challenges they face in maintaining this mindset, even as leaders. They should model this focus and a level of vulnerability.
Have fun with students as often as possible.

Mindset #2: I am a learner

Educators must love learning. And I’m not talking about loving to see students learn; I mean love learning for ourselves, as educators. We must love to learn, innovate, and be creative. We must try new things, read, watch videos, and use social media to discover new ideas. Teachers must be committed to continually refining their teaching skills.

The love of learning extends to our personal lives as well. What hobbies and passions do we cultivate? In which forums are we the learners, demonstrating curiosity and motivation? To cultivate a teacher mentality, we must find joy in being a lifelong learner.

How can a school and/or individual build this?

Create a book club for educators. Make it fun. Make it different. Read about education or other things. Just put the focus on learning.
Lead PD with stories of staff members who have demonstrated recent learning.
Give teachers release days for professional learning in small groups.
Saturate the culture with messages about adult learning.
Make time for your personal interests and hobbies.

Mindset #3: Change is constant

Too often, educators feel overwhelmed and frustrated by frequent change. We want things to be the same from one year to the next, one month to the next. They never will be! Any emotional energy we spend fighting change is simply a drain on a reservoir that’s hard to keep full. Educators will be far more resilient if, at our core, we embrace change, enjoy adapting to new challenges, and assume that new skills will always be necessary.

I want to be clear: This does not mean that educators shouldn’t question change. The best educators absorb all the changes and make sound decisions for their students. Yes, we should question new programs and initiatives. Yes, we should be the middle ground between what’s new and how our students experience this change. But we shouldn’t be afraid of change. We need to embrace it, or, at the very least, expect it and not shut down. Change is inevitable; might as well fully accept this and keep doing our job.

How can a school and/or individual build this?

Read articles, listen to podcasts, and hold conversations about change and the change process.
Connect all change to deep purpose (rather than just announcing it).
Give teachers time to digest the change before implementing it.
Use a journal to reflect upon your reaction to changes. This level of awareness will help lessen the power of change.

Mindset #4: Firm and flexible

Educators must practice a constant balance of firmness and flexibility. This balancing act is the true art of teaching: a mindset educators must grapple with from start to finish in their careers. We must be this way in all things. Classroom management? Be firm and flexible. Content and curriculum? Be firm and flexible. Student-teacher relationships? Be firm and flexible. Show kids your true self and be vulnerable, but also develop your “teacher voice,” make eye contact with students, and maintain high expectations.

Often, educators lose this balance. If we are too firm, we get stressed by anything that doesn’t go perfectly. If we are too flexible, we get overwhelmed by the ensuing chaos. There’s no perfect balance. The mindset is one in which we constantly strive to find the right balance in a given situation.

How can a school and/or individual build this?

Facilitate conversations in which educators define whether they are more comfortable with “firm” or “flexible” in different scenarios, then discuss how to improve in areas where they are less comfortable.
Use these words often within your everyday language so they remain a focus at school.
Positively reward educators for demonstrating a balance between firmness and flexibility.
Take a deep breath in stressful situations and visualize where on this continuum you feel comfortable responding. What does this moment call for?

Mindset #5: My mental health matters

This job will always be challenging. Kids will test us. Administrators will expect a lot. Parents and the general public will often misperceive our performance. It will feel like stress is bombarding us from all angles. And then, rinse and repeat tomorrow.

For educators to thrive, we must always prioritize our mental health. We must focus daily energy on our mental health. We must have strategies we use outside of work to recharge our emotional batteries. We must have strategies we use during our school day to ensure our tanks stay relatively full. We must connect with colleagues who are positive and optimistic. We must manage our time in a way that guards our emotional state. We must check our egos at the door.

Most importantly, we must be in touch with how we feel at work. How can a school and/or individual build this?

Discuss mental health at all professional development sessions.
Provide daily/weekly suggestions for improving mental health.
Read articles, watch videos, and listen to podcasts that focus on personal and professional mental health.
Hold these same discussions with students, frequently.

Being an educator is not easy. And that is an understatement.

But if we can build the teacher mentality, the challenges will be manageable. We will be able to stay mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy, giving our best to our students. Most important, we will enjoy the job and stay connected to the goodness at the core of education.

So, at the next staff meeting, let’s think like a basketball coach. Let’s huddle up together and use the time to develop the mentality we need:

“You know the game plan. Go into those hallways, classrooms, cafeterias, and offices. Bring your deep love of kids and learning. Know that change will be constant. Stay committed to balancing firmness with flexibility. And most important, work to maintain your mental health. If you do these things, you will enjoy the work, and students will grow. Practice the teacher mentality, and everything else will fall into place!”

About the Author
Timothy Allen, EdD ’13, is associate professor of education at American International College. Learn more about Dr. Allen.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by MiddleWeb on June 28, 2026, and is republished here with permission.