In preparation for the school year, Dr. Green emailed his students requesting that they “bring a pair of hiking boots” and “buy a microscope,” an early indicator that at Kent, Geology is not your typical science class.

Most students know that Geology is the study of rocks and the formation of the earth. Yet in a larger sense, as Dr. Green points out, “it’s like introducing someone to their home they live in, that they never really paid attention to.”

Unlike many other sciences, Dr. Green suggests that Geology is not a “think fast”  science, but rather requires time and thinking to slowly piece things together.  Nonetheless, it is “always a good time,” says Dr. Green, “because it allows a lot of opportunities to be amazed.”  Ben Clark ‘17, one of Green’s students, agrees, calling the class “very engaging and interesting.”

The course focuses mainly on global geology and takes the class on a journey of the world’s formation.  Over the course of the term, students will conduct labs in outdoor exploration and frequent hikes to examine the geologic structures of the Kent School campus. They will also visit a local geology and earth science museum.

Tests will usually involving the “bigger picture” and rarely require rote memorization. Accordingly, the class’s final requires one to describe a certain period of earth’s history from a sample of a rock, making it very unique amongst the science classes offered at Kent.

Dr. Green suggests that motivated students who “don’t think that memorizing is the way to go, who like to see the big picture” will excel in this course.  Geology is certainly an excellent option for students looking for something beyond the traditional classroom experience.