I am Magaskawee and am 13 years old. Just recently, the government has opened residential schools for the sake of “education.” Residential schools operate on a half-day system, in which we have to spend half the day in the actual classroom, and the other half at work. The theory behind this idea is we will acquire the vital and essential skills that are demanded to be able to earn a living as adults.
We wake up to the deafening sound of the bell in the very early morning before sunrise, which signals for us to dress up and attend the chapel. We are forced to wear our uniforms which include very bland, colourless pants and a very long shirt that looks more like military styled clothes in a way and is very shabby and ill-fitting. There aren’t any jackets, scarves, or any suitable clothing in winter so I feel like I am going to freeze to death. Breakfast, like all other meals, is quite low in quantity and of depleted quality. We have a very malodorous and tasteless stew without salt; quite disgusting isn’t it? Five of us didn’t even get any breakfast, including me. We are told we aren’t permitted to keep any of our possessions; they even took my favourite headgear and my necklace, which is the only …show more content…
My sister and her friends are the ones in charge of the housekeeping and my friends and I are expected to do all the agriculture and general maintenance. There is rarely a short play period before supper; consequently, bedtimes are quite early as we cry ourselves to sleep and hope we don’t get caught or punished brutally. My buddy Araluen was a victim of tuberculosis, which resulted in his death. Conceivably, the staff assumes our culture and spiritual beliefs are inferior to theirs and what they believe in. We were forced and removed from our homes and our families; furthermore, we can't even go home for
We wake up to the deafening sound of the bell in the very early morning before sunrise, which signals for us to dress up and attend the chapel. We are forced to wear our uniforms which include very bland, colourless pants and a very long shirt that looks more like military styled clothes in a way and is very shabby and ill-fitting. There aren’t any jackets, scarves, or any suitable clothing in winter so I feel like I am going to freeze to death. Breakfast, like all other meals, is quite low in quantity and of depleted quality. We have a very malodorous and tasteless stew without salt; quite disgusting isn’t it? Five of us didn’t even get any breakfast, including me. We are told we aren’t permitted to keep any of our possessions; they even took my favourite headgear and my necklace, which is the only …show more content…
My sister and her friends are the ones in charge of the housekeeping and my friends and I are expected to do all the agriculture and general maintenance. There is rarely a short play period before supper; consequently, bedtimes are quite early as we cry ourselves to sleep and hope we don’t get caught or punished brutally. My buddy Araluen was a victim of tuberculosis, which resulted in his death. Conceivably, the staff assumes our culture and spiritual beliefs are inferior to theirs and what they believe in. We were forced and removed from our homes and our families; furthermore, we can't even go home for