Great ideas can start with one Tweet! April 28, 2018, Tonja Frank, aka School Nurse T sent this tweet asking “Who wants to have a #schoolnursechat? Let’s share our experiences. Who’s in?” It was a tweet heard through the Twittersphere and before we knew it, the #SchoolNurseChat was born. The original pioneers with me in this adventure were Tonja, Lisa Kern, and Chris Amidon, all colleagues who connected through the magic of social media.
A Twitter chat is a public Twitter conversation linked together by using a unique hashtag (#). Ours is #SchoolNurseChat. This hashtag allows you to follow the discussion and participate in the fast-paced virtual conversation. Hashtags are also used to search for topics. The @ sign is used on Twitter to identify individual names or organizations. For example, my Twitter handle (name in Twitter-speak) is @RobinCogan.
There are no hard and fast rules about Twitter chats. It is best to use the unique hashtag, ours is #SchoolNurseChat so that it is easier to follow a conversation. The Twitter chat host may post numbered questions using Q:1 and participants can respond with numbered answers corresponding to the question using A:1 so that it is easier to identify specific threads of conversations.
To date, we have had four Twitter chats since last Spring, with the most recent one being this past Monday evening. Each one has been an informal gathering of school nurses from across the country eager to connect to share best practices, experiences, and concerns. We have learned that our collective energy is invigorating and time seems to stand still for that brief hour of group connection. The enthusiasm to share resources and information illustrates the professional generosity of our colleagues. NASN noticed the enthusiasm for our chats and included our most recent gathering in NASN’s Weekly Digest!
It has been a professional and personal pleasure to participate in creating Tweet chats for school nurses. We welcome everyone with open arms and look forward to growing this group with more frequent gatherings. For the remainder of the 2018-2019 school year, we are planning on holding a #SchoolNurseChat every other month beginning in January. It may be possible that by the 2019-2020 school year we could run a monthly chat! Here is the announcement for the next chat scheduled Monday, 1/28/19:
Our most recent #SchoolNurseChat was focused on ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), mental health and self-care for school nurses. There were so many resources shared in the brief sixty-minute chat that a suggestion was made to curate them all in a blog post. Thanks for the great idea, Chris! Lynne Traina shared her excellent collection of resources for ACEs, Trauma & Toxic Stress, which I have incorporated into the list below. They are in no specific order and each is equally informative and helpful. The following resources include websites, articles, videos, webinars, and books!
ACEs Connection Join the movement to prevent ACEs, heal trauma & build resilience
School Nurses Can Be Mental Health ‘Detectives’ But They Need Help
The Risk Of Teen Depression And Suicide Is Linked To Smartphone Use, Study Says
What Are ACEs and How Do They Relate to Toxic Stress
When Students Are Traumatized, Teachers Are Too
Mindfulness and the Brain—How to Explain It to Children
EXPLORE HEALTH Adverse Childhood Experiences
An Inside Look at Trauma-Informed Practices
Sensory Processing, Coordination Attachment
20 Principles of Educational Neuroscience By Lori Desautels, Ph.D
A Dark Consensus About Screens and Kids Begins to Emerge in Silicon Valley
https://selfregulationinstitute.org/ Dr. Stuart Shanker, @StuartShanker
https://www.traumainformedlearning.com/ Dr. Jim Walters, @drjimwalters
https://creatingtraumasensitiveschools.org/professionaldevelopment/ Attachment and trauma network, @attachtrauma
https://www.acesconnection.com/collection/growing-resilient-communities-2-0 Aces Connection, @ACEsConnection
https://www.livesinthebalance.org/ Dr. Ross Greene
https://www.bdperry.com/ Dr. Bruce Perry, @BDPerry
http://revelationineducation.com/ Dr. Lori Desautels, @desautels_phd and Michael McKnight, @mmknight32
https://angstmovie.com/host-a-screening/ – Anxiety movie for parents/staff
https://www.pbs.org/video/adverse-childhood-experiences-ezewgc/ -Must see with Dr. Bruce Perry
https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/mental-health/trauma/modules- Trauma Sensitive Schools Online PD, Wisconsin Dept of Public Instruction
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/aces-and-toxic-stress-frequently-asked-questions/- Great for parent/staff education
http://csmh.umaryland.edu/ – Free online mental health training for school nurses
https://www.edutopia.org/school/fall-hamilton-elementary – Video of a trauma-informed elementary school in Nashville, TN with Principal Matthew Portell, @principalest
https://kpjrfilms.co/resilience/- The Documentary Resilence: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope is a great first step in training staff. This is a trailer for the documentary.
The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke Harris
The Boy Who Was Raised as A Dog by Bruce Perry and Maia Szalavitz
Building Resilience in Students Impacted by ACEs by Victoria Romero, Ricky Robertson Amber Warner
The Trauma Informed School by Jim Sporleder and Heather T. Forbes
Lost at School by Ross Greene
Help for Billy by Heather T. Forbes
Fostering Resilient Learners by Kristin Souers and Pete Hall
Unwritten, The Story of a Living System: A Pathway to Enlivening and Transforming Education by Lori Desautels, Ph.D., and Michael McKnight
What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City by Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD
A Court of Refuge: Stories from the Bench of America’s First Mental Health Court by Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren
Childhood Disrupted How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology And How You Can Heal by Donna Jackson Nakazawa
For those who are new to Twitter, here is a great youtube video to learn the basics:
For those who are thinking about joining our next #SchoolNurseChat, here is a brief video that explains the basics of a Twitter chat:
Happy learning, keep in touch and remember to save the date for our next #SchoolNurseChat on Monday, January 28, 2019!
visit www.relentlessschoolnurse.com