Back to school is always a mix of excitement and some trepidation about changes and challenges ahead. This year, for my small, single-parent SoCal family, it meant a return from global summer travel for both my teenagers – and for me.
My daughter, Mirabel, 19, made her first trip to Europe, visiting historic sites in Hungary and Poland with her university, then Taiwan with a high school friend, and, finally, Indonesia and Singapore with her boyfriend. My son, Leo, 17, spent his summer in Toronto living with my kids’ Canadian family and apprenticing with his uncle, a software CEO, while working in a gym and working out – a lot (he came home transformed). Preparing for empty nesting – or free birding – I rented a flat in Paris, France, where I lived and worked remotely for L.A. Parent as acting editor (while Editor-in-Chief Cassandra Lane was on medical leave), and explored a move to Paris when Leo leaves for college next year.
As a divorced mother, practiced in the art of “letting go” of my kids half time, and almost ready for my next chapter: Was it dreamy? Yes. Was it challenging? Yes. And: a happy reunion when we returned to our house in the suburbs of Los Angeles to spend a week together before the start of school. Yet while we were away, we all were troubled by unsettling news of ICE raids, education funding cuts and more – not just headlines but a frightening reality for too many Angelenos.
For our Back to School issue, L.A. Parent set out to find ways to support families and students navigating this challenging season – the first fall since wildfires decimated communities and since the threat of ICE pickups became a daily fear. Highlights: On our cover and in “Chat Room” (page 13), we spotlight heroes making an impact – Avery Colvert, 15, and her mother, Lauren Sandidge, cofounders of Altadena Girls, providing essentials and empowerment for girls affected by the fires. In “Learning Lapses” (page 28), Lina Lecaro shares organizations helping confront educational crises.
Our “Inclusive L.A.” section (page 17) focuses on therapies – both equine and music – that are popular modalities for kids with autism and learning differences. In “How to Be an A+ Classroom Volunteer” (page 32), our Digital Editor Nina Harada shares parents’ tips (and her own); in “School Routines” (page 34), “ADHD mom” Lauren Burke Meyer gives advice for thriving yearlong; and in “Meeting in the Middle” (page 38), educator and father Gregory Keer prepares parents for tough middle school scenarios.
Of course, fall is a time of fun celebrations, and we’ve got you covered with a robust Calendar filled with pumpkin patches, harvest festivals, trick-or-treating and more.
The official motto of Paris is the Latin, Fluctant nec mergitur: “She is tossed by the waves but does not sink.” That phrase, reflecting courage and resilience, also perfectly fits our City of Angels, bordered by the waves of the Pacific.
Wishing us strength for the challenges of this back-to-school season and hope for positive changes ahead.
