The residential schools weren't exactly the best place to live. This was partly due to the lack of funding, but much of it had to do with the way the schools were run.

One thing most former students remember is the hunger. The food was neither nutritious or plentiful, and usually not appetizing. One boy actually lost weight while attending the school, and he was growing at the time so he should have been gaining weight. On the other hand, the staff ate like royalty in comparison to the students.     "For them it was different...They didn't eat the same food we ate; they ate much better
     food. We had mush and they had bacon and eggs. They were separate from everybody
     else in one room where the whole staff ate."

The students often stole food from the kitchen to appease their hunger, as well as eating whatever berries were in season.

The schools were very oppressive and strict. The rules, which were many, were enforced very rigidly. The school forced many regulations on the students. The sexes were completely segregated. Boys and girls were not allowed contact with each other, not even brothers and sisters. There was even a partition built in some dining halls to limit eye contact. There were also strict rules about when a child could and couldn't talk. Everything the children did was supervised, including sleeping and, in some cases, going to the washroom.

Punishment was usually quite severe and usually involved physical pain. The most common punishment was the strap. However, what made these punishments worse was that they were meted out in front of everyone and the children suffered public humiliation. Often punishments were totally uncalled for, such as strapping a child for wetting the bed.

Another example of mistreatment is the verbal, mental, physical and sexual abuse that occurred in the schools. Students were abused by supervisors as well as fellow students. This abuse involved everything from name calling to fights to sexual mistreatment.

Perhaps the worst problem with all these facts is that it didn't end when the student left the school. They still had to deal with it and all the problems caused by these terrible experiences in the schools.

• The boys doing morning chores (milking cows, feeding animals, etc.) got up at about 5:30 am
• Everyone else got up at 6:00 am, washed
• Went to chapel for Mass
• Breakfast
  • a sticky porridge cooked by students the night before, a piece of bread with some butter and a glass of milk
• Morning cleaning duties
• Classes
  • the first hour was religious studies
  • two hours academic studies
• Lunch
  • a mush of potatoes, carrots, turnips, cabbage and chunks of meat
  • Fridays - mushed up fish
• Work Time/Chores
  • girls learned to sew, cook and clean
  • boys learned to farm and grow a garden
  • some boys learned basic carpentry and shoe repair
  • cleaning groups cleaned their designated part of the school (boys and girls)
• Study Hour
• Supper
• Clean-up
• Recreation Time
• Prayers
• Bedtime

This refers specifically to the Kamloops Indian Residential School and is taken from the book "Resistance and Renewal" by Celia Haig-Brown.

The residential schools in Canada have left behind a very negative legacy - one of alcoholism, dysfunctional families and a lot of unhappy and angry people.

Some children were introduced to alcohol in the schools and used it as a way of escape. Other children were introduced to it when they went home. Many parents turned to alcohol when their children were taken from them, and one former student recounted going home for the holidays and finding that her parents now drank. Another student remembers going home at Christmas and getting drunk. In this way, the schools helped contribute to the alcohol problem on reserves.

The heart of Native culture is the family. Children learn everything they know from their parents, and parents spend most of their time teaching and providing for their children. At the schools, the children failed to learn important parenting skills, cultural traditions and the Native way of life. This proved to be a huge cause of dysfunctional families, as students who didn't know how to be parents had children. The schools also caused strain in the families. Many children felt ashamed of their families because the family did something that was against the Catholic religion.

It's no secret that a lot of children were abused in various ways at the schools. Punishment usually involved strapping and public humiliation. One boy had needles pushed through his tongue after getting caught speaking his Native language. Many children were abused verbally by the nuns and priests. They were called animals, were told their background and culture was evil and were made to believe that they were worthless. There is, also, the sexual abuse. One student recalls:     "I learned how to use sexuality to my advantage, as did many other students. Sexual favors
    brought me protection, sweets (a rarity in the school) and even money to buy booze. But this
    had it's long term effects...including alcoholism, the inability to touch people and an 'I don't
    care' attitude."          Taken from 'Resistance and Renewal'

This boy was first abused at the age of 6. Many other children also suffered the consequences of this abuse and have taken it out on others or themselves.

Another effect of the schools was that many Native children lost their cultural history. They had to be retaught their language and cultural traditions, a process that continues today.

It is for these reasons (and more) that Natives are lobbying for apologies and compensation. The $350 million recently promised by the federal government for healing seems like a drop in the bucket when one considers the huge number of people involved and the losses they have suffered.