After a horrific shooting, a morning ritual takes on new meaning. Just a little over 100 days since the shooting at Robb elementary, the deadliest school shooting since Sandy hook 10 years ago, parents in Uvalde, TX had to decide whether or not to send their children back to school. For some, it was an excruciating decision. “I spent the whole summer contemplating whether I send them back or not,” Sophie’s mother, Theresa Hoskins, said. “Ultimately, my husband and I decided it would be their choice.” Sophie and her sister elected to return to school. “The nightmare is, what if they don’t come back?” Hoskins said.

I spent two weeks in September photographing children waiting for the morning bus in Uvalde. I was moved by the openness of the parents and the community to tell the story of what it was like to try to return to some sort of normal. I am honored that this portfolio appeared in the October 17, 2022 issue of The New Yorker.