Why take Chemistry? Why not?

....paraphrased from Rushin

Students often ask, "Why do we have to take chemistry? What's it good for in the real world? When will I ever use this again?"

Chemistry is used in everything you do in modern society. The aspirin (or acetominophen, or ibuprofen, or naproxen sodium, or ketoprofen, etc.) you take when you have a headache was manufactured by chemists working for pharmaceutical companies. The gasoline you use to operate your car was formulated by petroleum chemists to give it the best possible operating properties. If you have contact lenses, the plastics used to make the lens, as well as the solutions you use to clean them were developed by chemists. No matter where you go, there's chemistry!

But students still ask, "If I'm not going to be a chemist, why do you need to know how this stuff works? Shouldn't I just be happy that it does work?"

Honestly, you don't really need to know the exact details of all the chemistry in your lives. Chances are that it would take you years to learn all the chemistry, and even then it wouldn't be all that handy to know. However, that's not my (or any other teacher's) goal in teaching you chemistry. I'm not trying to teach you everything, in fact I couldn't possibly teach you everything - I'm just trying to give you enough of a background as well as some thinking practice that will help you understand some of the basics so you can have a deeper appreciation of what's going on around you. More importantly I am trying to give you some tools and practice skills to make you more prepared for a life full of problem solving and decision making.

Chemistry is the foundation.

Chemistry is the fundamental natural science since it is concerned with the basic structure and properties of all matter. Biology, physics, geology, engineering, and medicine are based on an understanding of the chemical substances of which all things are composed. Chemistry is the beginning point in the course of studies that eventually produces all scientists, engineers, and physicians. But it is also important for all responsible citizens to help them make informed decisions during these complex times that we live in.

What is it I am really trying to do with you?

So rather than just giving you information, because all the information is already available to you through a wide variety of sources, I will be trying to provide you with experiences that will develop your thinking process. While stuying chemistry I will be trying to give you practice at seeing things clearly, teasing apart complex issues, working steady to find useful solutions to problems, practicing communication skills, and developing a knack for figuring things out - in short, I will be trying to help you work on useful life skills.

So....why chemistry? Why not?