As part of the Learner’s Perspective Study our exploration of effective mathematics teaching and learning practices involved looking closely at three grade 8 classrooms drawn from three diverse secondary school settings. Locally, the participating teachers where all held in high regard by their professional colleagues. Although each of the teachers had different styles of teaching—ranging from a more traditional to an inquiry based pedagogy—it was clear from our classroom observations and post lesson student interviews that for the most part students within each of the classes were very positive both about their teacher and their own experiences of learning mathematics. Analysis of the post-lesson interviews in particular suggested that within each class students recognised and valued specific clusters of teacher attributes—be they a carer, a helper, an explainer, or a mathematical inquirer. In this paper we consider how such student perceptions of their teacher mediated their understanding of their obligations within the mathematics classroom and thus their view of what it means to be a ‘good’ mathematics learner.