Member-only story
Chemistry: Most Practical High School Subject
A great subject for abstract and critical thinking
Of all the high school subjects, high school chemistry is the most useful for all students after they leave high school.
Obviously, having a little understanding of the chemical world is a good thing. A basic knowledge of chemicals, concentrations, pressures, acids, bases, and reactions helps truck drivers, cooks, janitors, and miners handle chemicals more efficiently and safely. A more chemically conscious public can make better public decisions regarding chemicals in our society.
Chemistry also teaches students a lot of other important workplace skills.
For instance, the procedures to name chemical compounds requires the students to learn new vocabulary and grammar — and apply this new language into a set of established rules and principles. Many occupations — such as bank clerks, office administrators, government workers, and trades people — undergo similar training to master the vocabulary and grammar of their jobs. Learning to name chemical compounds gives future workers a greater ability to learn their future workplace languages.
The periodic table, which probably has at least 1000 pieces of information, teaches students how to work efficiently with organized information…
