Sarah hears a lot in her chemistry class about sulfur dioxide and its catalytic oxidation to sulfur trioxide, about the contact process for its production, and the importance of sulfuric acid for chemical engineering. One evening, her father reads something in the newspaper about the increase in acid rain and asks Sarah: “You’ve been studying chemistry for a long time. Tell me—what is acid rain? How does your teacher explain this phenomenon?” Sarah’s answer: “I don’t know, the teacher didn’t say anything about it.” David Waddington thus caricatured the usual chemistry teaching in Great Britain from his point of view. German students often also miss the practical relevance of their lessons. In a survey of high school students in grades 9-11, they commented after a chemistry lesson with concrete real-life references: Chemistry lessons don’t seem so pointless when you can apply the material in everyday life. If there were practical references, then chemistry lessons wouldn’t be an abstract complex of formulas. Such real-life references are good for general education and also benefit those who do not choose a career in chemistry later. The interests of boys and girls are examined, concrete suggestions for real-life references in chemistry lessons are reflected upon and empirically evaluated.