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Health & Fitness

Why do I have to learn this?

Most kids ponder why they have to learn much of middle and high school curriculum...and frankly, they have a good point. This article validates their point.

It would be a startling number if I were to have tallied how many times kids asked “how is this going to help me in my life,” while doing their science and math homework. The reality, unfortunately, is that much of the math and science curriculum will not be useful to them in their real lives.  

To best illustrate this, I have put together a short compilation of problems from the homework assignments of these very kids. The list of problems was randomly taken from required courses in high school, including math, physics, and chemistry and were absolutely not chosen because they are hard and would prove the point more readily. These are legitimately normal problems from mandatory high school classes. Look at them and tell me if you even have the slightest idea how to solve them.  

Then, more importantly, ask yourself if the understanding of these problems could help you to reach your goals in any way, financial or otherwise. Now, there are people in the world who can answer these, but most are teachers. And even amongst teachers, most can only answer the questions in their subject matter. The chemistry teacher will likely get the chemistry one right and the math teacher will get the math right. Beyond that, only the kid is expected to know all subjects.   

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It is not only unlikely, but almost an impossibility that even the principal of the school would be able to pass the finals of all of the required classes for graduation, from English and Spanish to chemistry and math. In fact, the president of the United States of America would likely also not be able to accomplish this task.  

With this being such an obvious truth, why are standards from the state and federal governments accepted with little or no fight? Before secondary schools are to become truly successful, this issue of curriculum being absurdly irrelevant needs to be completely corrected.  

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Examples of High School Curriculum

Physics, Chemistry, and Math Questions

1. How many moles of Fe2O3 are present in 1000 kg of the oxide? Atomic weights: Fe, 55.8, O, 16.0

2. A dry-cleaning solvent has a molecular weight of 146.99 g/mole that contains C, H, and Cl. It is suspected to be a cancer-causing agent. When a 0.250g sample was studied by combustion analysis, 0.451 g of CO2 and 0.0617 g of H2O was formed. Find the molecular formula of the solvent.

3. A 0.513 g sample of a compound containing only carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen burns in excess O2 to produce 1.04 g of CO2 and 0.704 g of H2O. Calculate the mass percent of N in the compound.

4. Factor: 3x² + 7x + 2

5. Solve for X and Y:  x - 2y = 14
                                x + 3y = 9

6.  Determine the value of the variables:
           
           x + y + z = 22
           2x + y –z = 40   
           -x+ 10y - 2z = -12
          
7. A 15,000 kg rocket launcher holds a 5000 kg rocket. The rocket exits the launcher at +450 m/s. What is the recoil velocity of the launcher?

8.  A 1325 kg car traveling north at 27 m/s collides with a 2165 kg car moving east at 17 m/s. As a result of the collision, they stick together. What is their velocity after the collision?

How did you do? Not to be mean, but I don’t even really have to ask. Again, the aim here is not to make you feel the anxiety that probably accompanied your childhood come test time, but to make a point. Knowledge and education are the most powerful and wonderful things in the world, but out of context, they are worthless.  

And for the parents that only feel compounding frustration by my little quiz and statements thereafter, and who can’t change how schools are run, I only offer this advice: Just try to understand why your kid is not thrilled about acing these classes. Empathy is what is called for. If your angle has been that there is something wrong with your son or daughter, that angle is not only unfair but totally wrong. If you disagree, I am going to need you to send me the results of the quiz you just took. Ha ha, just kidding.

Taken from the book: "In Defense of the American Teen," by Ryan Teves.

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