<![CDATA[Teacher stress and burnout have continued to intensify as systemic challenges in the post-pandemic era, requiring solutions that address not only structural conditions but also psychological well-being. The emergence of Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AAI) in 2026 presents new opportunities to automate administrative tasks while potentially transforming teachers’ overall professional experience. This study aims to explore how the integration of AAI facilitates a mindset shift among teachers from an obligation-oriented “got to” mindset toward an opportunity-oriented “get to” mindset, examined through the lenses of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model. Employing a qualitative phenomenological approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 15 teachers in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia, who had integrated AAI agents into their classroom practices. The findings indicate that delegating routine tasks to autonomous AI assistants not only reduces teachers’ cognitive workload but also reshapes their sense of professional autonomy, consistent with the SDT principles of autonomy and competence. At the same time, AAI-supported practices may strengthen the quality of teacher–student relationships, which function as an important social resource within the JD-R framework. This shift in professional mindset emerged as a key catalyst for reclaiming the joy of teaching. The study contributes theoretically to the growing literature on teacher well-being in the digital era and offers practical implications for policymakers seeking to develop ethical, human-centered AI ecosystems in education.]]>
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