Counting Get Ups

Many, many years ago, while I was still teaching in Colorado, it was the practice for the teaching staff to rotate through "morning duty." Morning duty consisted of watching over the children as they gathered outside of the school before the bell rang and the day officially began. Mostly it amounted to making sure that no one got hurt or kidnapped.

I am not a morning person. I never have been. So, for me, morning duty was challenging as I would try to wake up and simply cope with a whole lot of random, bouncy kid energy.

One morning, in May, I was standing out, doing my duty, when a bright-eyed, energetic little first-grade girl came bounding up to me to declare, "Mrs. D, there are only 16 more get ups!" I knew this little one. She had two older sisters, and had been around the school since she was an infant. She had the sort of confident air that children get when they are extremely comfortable in a particular setting.

Hearing her exuberant joy about 16 get-ups, I peered down at her, and said, "Really? And what are get-ups, Katie?"

She proceeded to explain to me that she hated to get up in the morning. She was quite sure that getting up and getting dressed was the worst part of the day. In her view, once she was up and dressed, the worst of it was over with, and the rest of the day was no problem. Therefore, as the school year came to a close, Katie was counting "get-ups."

Well. Out of the mouth of babes. I am with Katie. Like her, I believe that getting up is the worst of it all. Once I'm up and dressed, the rest of the day feels way more manageable.

So, as the school year draws, once again, toward its end. I am remembering Katie, who by now must be in high school, and am counting get-ups. So, in case you are wondering, there are 13.

swan