The student who appears lazy, intentionally oppositional, or who seems to willfully ignore admonitions to pay attention, apply more effort, or to stop talking to his neighbor or texting may not be making voluntary choices. These students' brains may be responding to the stress of sustained or frequent boredom. Functional neuroimaging and other research tools continue to yield more data about the brain's response to stress and is giving increased attention to brain changes associated with boredom. This article offers a research summary and correlated strategies for classroom interventions.