Reading is fundamental to learning. Vital to learning is memory, which is the mental faculty used to retrieve what was read and understood. The human brain is about the size of a grapefruit and weighs about as much as a head of cabbage. The cerebral cortex is a kind of problem-solving and memorizing device. The hippocampus plays a critically important role in placing new memories in storage. Neurons transmit electrical signals along their length and synapses are the basis of memory storage. Memory consists of a number of interconnected systems, working together to perform different functions. The process of memory can be broken into recognition, image or information storage, and recall. When the qualities of both brain hemispheres are integrated and used collectively, learning and comprehension are enhanced. Much thinking and remembering is based on a fairly simple associative process. Short-term memory span is limited to the number of chunks of verbal information that it can hold. Images are traditionally divided into imagination images and memory images. There are four general categories for mnemonics: new words, creative sentences, rhymes and songs, and special systems. A "peg" system is a way to help memorize and retain information from a list that must be learned in a specific sequence. Educators would be wise to use kinesthetic tactile memory (muscle memory) more effectively in their teaching, as it far surpasses auditory or visual learning for long-term recall. The human brain has amazing powers and students and educators must not waste this invaluable resource. (Twenty-seven references are attached.) (RS)