Emotions, Learning, and Good Teaching – 1 Emotions, Learning, and Good Teaching Theodore Frick December 26, 2015 Introduction I have taken classes in school where I was constantly asking myself: Why do I need to learn this stuff? This is so boring. I wish I were doing something else. Every once and a while I was lucky to take a class that was terrific. My teacher was great. I was totally involved, completely immersed. I could not learn enough. This learning was very important to me. So, what was the difference between those boring classes I took and ones that were really great? In this paper, I explain why we learn a lot more in some situations compared with others. First, emotion is important for learning and memory. Many people remember highly emotional experiences. They can usually tell you in great detail about a particularly thrilling, highly stressful, or a frightening experience—even if it occurred a long time ago.