Wrapping my head around Kindergarten

I just got home from Emma's Kindergarten Back to School Night.  As I sat there I was kind of wishing I was on the other side of the presentation.  I remember oh so clearly, although it has been 6 years, that I was the one standing in front of the parents telling them all about what their child was going to learn in music class that year.  Although it wasn't my most favorite night of the year, I stood there with confidence and no stress about the information I was dispersing.  At the end of the night, I packed up my stuff and headed home.

Tonight was a different story.  As I sat there in the multi-purpose room, I was feeling the need to absorb every single detail of the presentations.  By the time I hit the classroom, my nerves grew a little more anxious as I listened to all the information on what Emma was expected to learn and master by the end of the year.  Oh my how Kindergarten has changed in 33 years.  As I remember it, Kindergarten when I was growing up was a lot like Pre-School is now.  I remember lots of coloring and painting and singing and playing and reading books and snack time and recess.  I do not remember things like Handwriting Without Tears and Houghton-Mifflin curriculum for Math.  Holy cow the bar has been raised in 33 years.

I just want so much for Emma to succeed without being completely stressed out about the homework and projects, etc.  I want her to have fun and hope that as the year progresses, I will be able to figure out a way to stay on top of things without stressing my kid out.  In some ways, I feel like I am going back to school.  Deep breath............

So, as I sit here trying to absorb the two power point presentations I watched tonight, I look back to my teaching years and understand a little better why some of the parents sitting in front of me had a glazed look in their eyes.  As long as it is just my eyes that are glazed over and not Emma's, we will be just fine.