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A As I write this, my son Eli is sitting at a computer, watching his English teacher and classmates appear in small boxes on a screen. It wasn’t the school year he had envisioned, filled with activities and laughter and friends. And though he’s making the best of it, I can see that six months of pandemic life are wearing on him. He’s not alone. Not long ago, I spoke with Kimberly Cabral, the founder of Mothers Awareness on School-age Kids, about the toll these tough times are having on children and families. “Everybody’s in the same boat,” she said. “Isolation is such a hard thing.” Through her work at MASK, Cabral has become acutely aware of the stresses on today’s children and how to help mitigate them. One of the chief strategies is dealing with the stress within ourselves. “If we’re feeling out of control, they’re feeling out of control. If we’re feeling fear, they’re feeling fear,” she said. Our conversation came at a great time. Through its programming, publication and phone app, MASK is trying to reach families where they are. And as the 2020- 2021 school year kicks off, I hope that our cover story provides insights that you and your family may need. Of course, along with the challenges of 2020, the year has also given us an opportunity to refocus our attention on what’s truly important. Family time, maintaining and strengthening friendships, helping others in our community — they’ve become higher priorities for many of us. A key way to help our community is at the ballot box. As Tom Evans writes this month, not many people understand what school boards do, how legislators impact schools and how county superintendents work. He shares how Expect More Arizona is providing resources during this election cycle that can help people decipher their options. Whether it’s COVID or school or the upcoming election, it’s a time of big stakes and big emotions. As I hear Eli’s teacher struggle to divide the class into breakout discussion groups, I realize we’re all doing our best to cope with this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I hope this issue offers a resource to work through some of the stakes and a friendly voice to help contend with the emotions. Karen Werner | EDITOR A N EW EDUCATION FRONTDOORS MEDIA | 7 | SEPT/OCT 2020 EDITOR’S NOTE {on the job}