Elementary and Secondary Working Group Meeting

September 23, 2023

The DCAESJ elementary and secondary working groups’ first meeting for the 2023 - 2024 school year was moving and thought provoking. They met at the Smithsonian American History Museum and were in conversation with Dr. Katherine Ott (any pronouns), a museum curator in the division of medicine and science. 

Conversation began with a circle question where everyone shared what memories and reflections they had about health education when they were growing up. Folks touched on experiences with the Presidential Physical Fitness Test, health classes, and other curricula. Dr. Ott covered a lot of ground on the histories of health marginalization and its legacy in the body. She demonstrated exercises she facilitates with grad students to better identify where in their bodies they react to external stimuli. Dr. Ott touched on colonialism and imperialism and how they impact health disparities. There was time for teachers to reflect on all that Dr. Ott shared, and then briefly discussed how they might incorporate what they learned into their curriculum this year. 

One working group member shared:

Thank you for organizing! It was inspiring.