In Defense of the American Teen
"An insider’s commentary on the state of our secondary schools”
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
"...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.
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
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. Find the coordinates of the vertex of
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Book Details
About the Book
As a tutor, and as a certified math and science teacher, complaints similar in nature, came up time and time again regarding our secondary schools and their inability to excite our young. More importantly, these complaints seem to match the experiences of the author himself in reflecting back on the middle and high school years. This book brings merit to the feelings of our young and makes some suggestions for fresh change.
While light and somtimes in jest , the book points out real deficiencies in the secondary school experience and takes on the noble task of defending the American teen. Our young are the brightest and kindest in the world and should be labeled as such.
About the Author
Ryan Teves is a certified math and science teacher with a B.A. from UCSC in molecular, cellular and developmental biology, and a masters degree in secondary education He has owned and run a tutoring business in both Hawaii and California, for over seven years, and has worked in public and private schools, as well as summer and continuation programs.
While passionate about his work, he considers his career to be secondary to his love for family and dedication to loved ones. Many of his philosophies regarding teaching reflect this and he consistently aims to improve the standard of living and overall happiness for his students and their families, rather than a focus on just academics.