About this item
Publishers Weekly12/02/2013 Award-winning science teacher Scheckel has been answering high schooler's questions for over 38 years. In his first book, he offers explanations to 250 of his favorite of these questions. Scheckel explains for instance why school buses don't have seat belts and how glow-in-the-dark objects work, as well as more science-based questions such as why carbon monoxide doesn't have a smell or why blood is red. The selections may not approach the complexity of a scholarly journal article, but everyday wonderings are ably handled. He steadfastly avoids any controversy by admitting there are certain questions he doesn't have answers to, and telling readers, for example, that vision is "one of God's greatest gifts.
About the Author
Larry Scheckel grew up on a family farm in the hill country of southwestern Wisconsin, one of nine children. He attended eight years of a one room country school, four years of high school, off to the military for a spell, trained in electronics as a TV broadcast engineer, married, college, and started a teaching career. That career stretched over thirty eight years teaching physics and aerospace science to over four thousand high school students at Tomah, Wisconsin. Larry Scheckel has been named Tomah Teacher of the Year three times, and Presidential Awardee at the state level for six years. He is the recipient of the Tandy Award, Kohl Award, Wisconsin Physics Teacher Award, Health Physics Society Award, Ron Gibbs Award, and Excellence in Science Teaching Award. Larry Scheckel has authored articles for The Science Teacher magazine and The Physics Teacher magazine. He has been a Science Olympiad coach, robotics mentor, organized field trip and star gazing sessions, and gave orientation flights to students. Larry has shared his expertise with teachers at National Science Teacher Association conventions, Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers, and summer workshops. He has given presentations to thousands of adults and students in such venues as Children's Museums, Boys and Girls Clubs, Rotary, and conventions. Larry likes to bicycle in the Driftless area of south central Wisconsin, jog on the back roads, fly a Cessna 150 over the verdant countryside, work crossword puzzles, read newspapers, historical books, and trade magazines, and fly radio controlled planes.
