Kindergarten in the South

So we've finished our first two weeks of kindergarten (only missing 2 days so far for asthma!) And I thought I'd share a little about it because it's SO different from when I went to kindergarten.

8:30am school starts--if you get there after the bell rings you have to sign your child in and sign a paper saying that you were tardy. It has three copies, one for you, one for the teacher, and one for the office. Seriously.

During the week: she has PE twice, music, drama, dancing, and art (all on different days, with specialized teachers), this is in addition to writing/reading/math--normal school stuff.

Lunch is from 10:40-11:10am. They can't talk during lunch. Southern cafeteria food looks gross by the way, JJ eats it once a week. She can also buy ice cream for 75 cents on Fridays.

Recess only happens once/day and I don't think it's very long 20 minutes or so? After recess is naptime. That's right, naptime. Each kid has a mat and blanket and they have to lay down for an hour. The teacher says most of the kids sleep. What? My kid hasn't taken a nap since she was 2.5 yrs old! J just lays there and is bored. Oh well.

Since they eat so early, they have a snack every day. The parents are responsible for bringing in a snack about once a month. So far J has had cheetos twice so she's in heaven.

3:00pm School gets out. She has homework every night but Friday. It's about 15 minutes of worksheets, handwriting practice etc.

Is that crazy? When I went to kindergarten I'm pretty sure we just played and did art projects. Not to mention the fact that it was only 3-4 hours longs. Luckily J is so social she's in heaven just being there. It's weird having her gone so much though.

Thoughts from the kindergarten teacher?