 wake up to the sound of your alarm blaring in your ear knowing you're about to bark on a full day's worth of classes, and yet something in you just can't quite get excited to learn. Like you know you're gonna work really hard all day, but you also know most of what you're about to hear will just bounce right off your brain. We all have days like that. But what if there's a reason why some students get more bored with school than others? It turns out our brains actually avoid thinking until precisely the right conditions. Contrary to popular belief, it's kind of a hassle for our brains to actually think when it comes to stuff we don't like, because the brain was created for just that, avoiding thought, because it takes a lot of effort to think, and it's sometimes a slow and painful process to delve into issues we find too weird or too uncomfortable. Maybe we don't like that teacher, or we hate that annoying guy who sits in the front row sipping his coffee way too loudly. Something about any lesson we encounter in our day to day lives will bother us so much that we'd rather avoid it than be immersed in it. But when we like something, we don't gotta think about it as much. It's something that comes to you so naturally that the thoughts just fill in the gaps. So little problems you once struggled with, like maybe finding the fastest walking route to work or spotting the best group on deal, will be far easier to solve. Instead, we rely on our memories of success to get us through the day. So how does this all tie back to education? Despite our brains being slightly confused as to how it thinks, our natural curiosity always takes over, especially when it comes to opportunities to learn. Whether your thing is calculus, or film theory, or Italian Renaissance architecture, class discussions allow your natural thought process to thrive that much more freely. So how can you get the most pleasure out of learning or teaching? 1. Always look for problems to solve. Problems of course meaning mental work that poses moderate challenge. Push people's thought process just a bit further. See if their explanation is a viable option towards reaching a goal. Make sure, though, not to over-explain things. 2. Respect people's limits. If they're getting uncomfortable during discussion, no one to back off, or even sometimes saying you're sorry. 3. Be open to re-wording your questions in case someone doesn't get it right away. 4. Know when to play devil's advocate. Has there been a lot of agreement, or even disagreement? Why not throw a little wrench into the works with a new thought? Really listen to answers given to you. Not everyone is going to share your level of happiness or outrage over a subject, so worry less about emotion and more about just what a person is saying. 6. Let people know when you're changing things up and switching topics. You'll get a new chance to engage people because all eyes will be on you. You're the one in charge as a teacher. 7. And finally, document your feelings. Write down all the moments things went right or wrong in class, and every time you felt a problem was solved successfully or could have been solved better. With enough practice and patience, you might just be able to think your way into doing anything you set your mind to. As long as you don't hit snooze too many times, of course.