Residential Schools

The First Nations of Canada have suffered many years due to the Residential school system. Residential schools were an extensive school system supported by the Canadian government, and administered by churches (Hanson). The Canadian government began to establish residential schools across Canada in the 1880’s. There were approximately 130 residential schools for aboriginal children of different communities across Canada (CBC) This essay will examine the residential school system in depth, the Canadian government’s actions upon residential schools, good and bad, and the outcome of residential schools among aboriginal people. Canada’s Indian residential school system began in 1892 and operated well into the twentieth century. The system forced children away from their families for extended periods of time throughout generations, prohibiting them of acknowledging their Aboriginal heritage and culture or to even speak their own languages. The extent of children being removed from their families never gave them the chance to develop a family life, or the knowledge and skills needed to raise a family of their own. If rules were broken, the children severely were punished. While attending these schools children had their hairs cut short, and were dressed in uniforms. They were educated differently from the way students are today. Boys were trained in carpentry, farming and tinsmithing, while girls were trained to cook, clean, do laundry and sew.
Students spent little time in class while the rest of their time was dedicated to training. Many of these schools could not function without the girls in housekeeping and boys in maintenance. The majority of students only reached grade 5 by the time they were 18. Students who attended the schools have spoken out of abuse which range from emotional, psychological, physical, and sexual. Emotional, and psychological being the most common, physical due to punishment, and sexual which was also common but not as often. There