First Day: 4th Grade

A parting glance from my 9 year-old on his first day of school. Despite the outward confidence reflected in his choice of a John Lennon-style muscle shirt, in this stolen last goodbye he flashes his vulnerability and I sense his apprehension about the new challenges in the year ahead. Experts say that 4th grade is the time when children discover that “there’s nobody just like me" and unless they hear consistent voices reaffirming their value, they often wonder, "Is something wrong with me?"