The objective of this study was to bring further knowledge to the subject as to what influences students motivation and self-esteem. The study had focus on role that the teachers play in these aspects. The study was done by using both a qualitative and quantitative approach. The qualitative method was interviews based on six interviews with two teachers and four students from two different classes. The quantitative method was a questionnaire study that was done in both classes. Results from the study show that the students think that their high school teachers are promoting their mathematical self-esteem. The differences regarding students mathematical self-esteem are less than the differences found within the gender. One of the conclusions drawn from this study is that students mathematical self-esteem is considerably lower than their general self-esteem. It has also been noticed that student’s perceive that their mathematical self-esteem has increased from elementary school to high school which they claim is due to their high school teachers.