Undoubtedly, every secondary school teacher at some point in his or her career has had a student ask, "Why are we learning this?" or "What is this stuff good for, anyway?" The authors have found in talking with teachers and students that, while the responses to these questions may vary, most leave students unsatisfied or frustrated. In some cases, students may feel temporary satisfaction, or even triumph, after posing such questions because they believe that their teachers cannot justify why they are teaching specific content. Students who feel this way can come to believe that "teachers only teach us this because they like it" or "they don't know what else to teach us." Understanding why people do things is central to motivation. Students at all levels, the authors remind us, need to be challenged to discover why they study various subjects, and teachers need to help them do so.