Whenever the author explains the brain to her second-grade students, the look on their faces is one of simultaneous fascination and relief. What caught her off guard was the relief. In retrospect, it makes pure sense. Of course it was a relief for them to realize that they could affect their brains and its abilities--that nothing was set in stone. This knowledge of the brain's plasticity--that one could physically improve one's mind--is empowering. Indeed, it may be the most important thing they would ever learn in school, at any age. In this article, the author discusses a typical day in her classroom and how she has incorporated explanations of the brain and students abilities to make positive changes.