An overarching theory that enables a systematic study of learning recently has been developed. Motivation, for example, is something we all think "we know when we see". It was an important step to recognize that motivation can be conceptualized in terms of allocating working memory and especially attention to a learning task. The unified learning model (ULM) was synthesized from the literature with this in mind. Using the ULM as a basis for analysis, it is possible to consider all aspects of learning. A good place to begin concerns schools in general and why, in particular, school is not thought of as being easy. The ULM explains that allocating working memory often requires effort, and any exertion of such effort may be perceived as being hard. This paper is an analysis of school learning and especially science learning (STEM learning) in terms of the ULM.