His dad took our picture in front of the double doors just before the bell for morning recess rang. That morning, I dressed him in a blue button-up shirt with sailboats, tidy navy pants, and his dad used his special cream to style his fresh haircut. We wanted him to look his best on his first day.

I watched him walk with timid steps toward the group playing foursquare to ask if he could join. While I roved the playground, I watched a second grader show him kindness and patience as he explained the rules and helped him learn, I saw my son pick it up quickly, and I was proud of them both.

When the bell rang and all the children fell in lines to be called inside, my boy stood at the front of his line and blew me a kiss on his way through the doors. I wouldn’t say I was worried, but I was cu

See Full Page