Blog Number Five

1. What chat did you participate in?

• I participated in Student Affairs Chat (#sachat)

2. Was there a theme to the chat?

• The theme of #sachat was supporting students with mental health concerns. 

3. What did you learn from the chat? Give specifics and cite examples.

• There were many issues that were addressed in this chat that I thought were important to relate to my life at this age, but also as a way to relate to my students. Question two of the chat was how professionals in the education world can be better prepared to deal with mental health concerns of students that are beyond "normal" stress/anxiety. A few participants in the chat discussed knowing when to refer a student, how to address behaviors that are a result of stress/anxiety, including self-harming behaviors and eating behaviors. One participant also discussed professionals understanding and being able to educate other about Asperger's Syndrome. In regards to college students, I think that self-destructive behaviors are witnessed through over-use of alcohol, experimental drugs, and self-destructive behavior, like an eating disorder. In regards to elementary school and my future, I believe that students, no matter what age, can suffer from a form of stress and anxiety. Teachers need to be able to address these issues and deal with them appropriately. 

4. Did anyone post links that you found helpful? List one or two and explain why you found them useful. Use bitly to shorten and share.

• There were not many helpful links that were posted throughout this chat. There was a lot of insight that was provided from professionals or those with experience. There was a title of a book that is the "Guide to Students with Asperger's Syndrome" that I think would be beneficial to have in order to further understand how students suffer. It is important, especially at the elementary level, to understand and accept students who may have Asperger's because they struggle socially but usually succeed educationally - especially in one subject or topic. 

5. Choose at least three people to follow from the chat. 

• I honestly did not follow three people from this chat. I found that this chat was really focused on college life, and therefore they were educational professionals that I did not think would benefit my PLN. I did search twitter and the tweets that came on my home page and decided to follow Education Week (@educationweek) because I think they post some beneficial articles reading education today.