Lesson Plan/Community Engagement

Lesson Plan/Community Engagement Ava Brown Grades 10th-12th Children Ranging from the 10th-12th Grade are approaching adulthood and are about to enter into the Real world, whether that be the work force, higher education, or even parenthood. Your health is one of the most important things you will have to maintain throughout your life and it is something you should be aware of at a young age ! There is a silent but deadly problem within the Black Community surrounding healthcare. Black People Don’t Trust the American Healthcare System. Black Americans, more specifically Black Men are among the least likely of all demographics to seek medical care despite reportedly having higher rates of chronic conditions, this, however, is due to a number of socioeconomic, pathological and historical reasons that will be explored within this lesson Plan. Course Description : Teaching Students the History of Black Health Care and Medical Practice within America. Objective : Read, understand, and Pathologize to one another the Importance of historical context within the guise of the topic on Black Health Care. How do you think the mistreatment of Black People in the past has led to their mistrust in Healthcare workers today ? Are they justified in holding onto these beliefs or should we learn to forgive and forget ? Do these problems still exist today or have we medically and ideologically progressed as a society ? If not, what can we do in hopes of evolving beyond these ideals and systems? Week1 Assignment 1 Each of you pick 1 of the 3 texts given in the instructions below and discuss among yourselves (In Groups of 3) what everyone thinks about what was stated, everyone must pick a different text and give perspective on the one you read and the other two people in your group, using your knowledge from the reading to to add to the conversation. We will then discuss your Ideas as a class. Text 1 : Reproductive coercion, medical mistrust, and Black women’s health from the antebellum period to the 21st century ” Text 2 : “The Role of Socioeconomic Factors in Black- White Health Inequities Across the Life Courses : Point-in-time Measures, Long-term Exposures, and Differential Health Returns.” Text 3: “The Journey of Diverse Students: The History of Exclusion in the Health Care Field” Justification These 3 texts discuss the historical factors that affect Black People and their relationship with HealthCare today. Text 1 discusses how Africans were experimented on and used for their bodies throughout the course of slavery, while their own medical practices were disregarded as “inferior” and lost to history. Text 2 explores the many ways in which black people have been historically and systematically prevented from seeking the medical care that they need. Text 3 dives into how the education system more specifically Higher education has purposefully put obstacles into place, making it harder or (Historically, impossible) for Black Men and Women to become healthcare professionals, all of these factors have led to Medical Distrust amongst African American communities. Week2 Assignment 2 + Field Trip #1 Following our Field Trip to the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of VirginiaLinks to an external site.: Hosts "A Prescription for Change," Each Group will receive a (20inx20in) poster, without using any words, draw your understanding of what you saw, learned, or conceived throughout your tour of the museum. Illustrate your ideals and emotions through drawing alone. *Having A Mostly/All Black students in mind* Justification This project is meant to illustrate how different yet sensitive we all can be. We are all people, with feelings and our own thoughts, everyone deserves to feel like they matter, because they do. Drawing on one poster will force everyone to work together and showing it to their classmates will hopefully foster some form of empathy and camaraderie amongst the students, further emphasizing my point of how it is important to understand and feel understood amongst your peers or caretakers. Week 3 This week we will have a Guest Speaker (My Husband) come in to talk to the kids about their health and his experiences in HealthCare as a Black physician. Assignment 3 When the Speaker is done write down any further questions you have for him and relate anything that he said that stuck out to you to your life. Maybe the stories he told reminded you of something that happened to you ? Maybe you both learned the same lesson just at different times in your lives. How will you make changes to your lifestyle now or in the future to ensure you maintain good health? Justification Bringing a Black Doctor will not only reinforce the lessons I’ve taught but hopefully inspire them as well. Being something as prestigious as a doctor can often seem, for some, nearly impossible, I’m hoping that they can see that doctors are people too! It takes hard work and dedication but they too can become whatever they set their minds to ! Representation and role models for Black children is very important, I’m hoping to have at least introduced them to one. I’m also hoping they are at least more conscious of their health and understanding that their health needs to be one of their top priorities throughout their lives. Week 4 Assignment 4 Find a text relating to Traditionally Black medical practices, healthcare, wellness, etc. Write a short paragraph on what you learned. Formulate 5 questions to ask your community over the weekend when you go home, Interview 3 people and write down their answers to your questions. Return to class with the answers and we will further discuss your findings in class on Monday Justification This assignment is to help them gain perspective on the experiences of other people, hopefully becoming a little more curious in the process. This assignment is to inspire deeper thinking emotionally and critically while also getting to know their community in a way they may have not known them before.