No offense to the author, but it might be poor teachers.
My high school chemistry teacher was one of the best I've ever had. She made it very fun, and had a stream of kids taking her classes and ultimately getting 4s and 5s on the AP chemistry test. It was so much fun I spent a semester as her lab assistant.
I took Chemestry 1 and 2 in High School and the classes could not have been more different. Chem 1 was engaging with lab work, real world applications, showing what a reaction meant in real life, etc...
Chem 2 was "memorize some math, do these abstract math problems, take a test, repeat". Zero lab work. No demonstrations. Little discussion about how it relates to the world. Most kids dropped out after that.
Really, a great teacher can make anything interesting and fun.
Which is powerful and valuable. Indeed I think this next decade we'll see many great teachers become very well known and wealthy as a result of the reach and impact they'll be able to achieve online.
Me too: my high school chemistry course was one of the best courses I ever took including H.S./college/medical school. Hard and wonderful. FunFact: I too spent a semester as chemistry lab assistant in lieu of a study hall.
I had an awesome high school chemistry experience as well. Chemistry is such a "hands on" science with fire, color changes, explosions, weird reactions, etc. I'm always surprised when people think it is boring.
My high school chemistry teacher was one of the best I've ever had. She made it very fun, and had a stream of kids taking her classes and ultimately getting 4s and 5s on the AP chemistry test. It was so much fun I spent a semester as her lab assistant.